HOT OFF THE PRESS...
SONDHEIM TRIBUTE REVUE
Provincetown Independent
Howard Karren
“Peregrine Theatre Ensemble is back, renewing its traditional summer musical theater presence in Provincetown with a lovely and powerful Sondheim Tribute Revue”
“Sondheim Tribute Revue is beautifully conceived and staged by director Kyle Pleasant.”
“The entire program flows seamlessly, with barely a breather for applause between songs, which vary between light and dramatic, with an emphasis on heart-rending high notes.”
The performers are consistently polished … The group harmonies are thrilling, especially in the two climactic numbers, “Being Alive” from Company and “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park With George.
In all, it’s great to have the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble back onstage where it belongs. Don’t miss an opportunity to see promising young talent doing thoughtfully crafted theater.
PROVINCETOWN MAGAZINE
Anne MacNeil
Do you know that thing when you’re at a concert and a piece finishes and the audience takes a collective deep breath, then exhales, and only then applauds? It’s a sign of wonderment, that a performance has caught you between two worlds. On Thursday night in Fishermen Hall, that happened three times.
Sondheim: Sondheim Tribute Revue brings six strong, emotional voices together in this former high-school auditorium, enlivening Sondheim’s melodies and, of course, his lyrics. Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has undertaken many fine productions; Sondheim continues on this path.
Of the fourteen-thousand-and-thirty-seven songs Sondheim composed over five decades, these twenty-five, performed by voices sympathetic in tones and emotion, will send you out into the summer’s night feeling far dreamier than when your day began.
Howard Karren
“Peregrine Theatre Ensemble is back, renewing its traditional summer musical theater presence in Provincetown with a lovely and powerful Sondheim Tribute Revue”
“Sondheim Tribute Revue is beautifully conceived and staged by director Kyle Pleasant.”
“The entire program flows seamlessly, with barely a breather for applause between songs, which vary between light and dramatic, with an emphasis on heart-rending high notes.”
The performers are consistently polished … The group harmonies are thrilling, especially in the two climactic numbers, “Being Alive” from Company and “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park With George.
In all, it’s great to have the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble back onstage where it belongs. Don’t miss an opportunity to see promising young talent doing thoughtfully crafted theater.
PROVINCETOWN MAGAZINE
Anne MacNeil
Do you know that thing when you’re at a concert and a piece finishes and the audience takes a collective deep breath, then exhales, and only then applauds? It’s a sign of wonderment, that a performance has caught you between two worlds. On Thursday night in Fishermen Hall, that happened three times.
Sondheim: Sondheim Tribute Revue brings six strong, emotional voices together in this former high-school auditorium, enlivening Sondheim’s melodies and, of course, his lyrics. Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has undertaken many fine productions; Sondheim continues on this path.
Of the fourteen-thousand-and-thirty-seven songs Sondheim composed over five decades, these twenty-five, performed by voices sympathetic in tones and emotion, will send you out into the summer’s night feeling far dreamier than when your day began.
CABARET
Ptownie
Okay. Let’s get this out of the way immediately: there are simply not enough superlatives in the English language to describe the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of Cabaret. Anything written here is a poor reflection of this brilliant theatrical performance… and experience.
And yet I’ll try.
The time is the 1930s. The place is Berlin. The decadence and excesses associated with Weimar Germany are at their last flowering when an aspiring American novelist, Clifford Bradshaw (Owen O’Leary), arrives with little more than a typewriter and a somewhat naïve expectation of being inspired by the city. He is befriended by Ernst Ludwig (Eli Neslund) who takes him to the Kit Kat Club, a cabaret notorious for its debauchery, fluid sexuality, and wild, carefree attitudes.
“In here… life is beautiful!” declares the Kit Kat Club’s Emcee (the exceptionally beautiful and talented Ryan McNevin), who’s also the show’s narrator. “Leave your troubles outside!” But one feels it might be already too late for that to be possible.
Cliff has stumbled into precisely the sort of place he wants to write about; he is a wide-eyed, naïve voyeur. That isn’t lost on Sally Bowles (Sarah Thorn), who’s happy to take Cliff for all he has—including moving herself in with him when she’s fired from the club. It’s in their relationship that we see one of director Kyle Pleasant’s brilliantly unexpected twists, distinguishing this production from other interpretations: O’Leary and Thorn’s couple have fallen together by circumstance, and there’s nothing in their understated interactions that screams romance. She’s a third-rate singer, he’s a novelist without a plot, and each sees in the other a path forward in their respective career. Sally and Cliff are reserved, almost rote with each other, except in the moments when one (mostly Sally) wants something from the other.
This stands in sharp contrast to the real romance of the show, that of landlady Fraulein Schneider (Halcyone Joseph Cabral) and fruit merchant Herr Schultz (Ian Leahy). Their sweet romance is in contrast to the lewd overt sexuality of the Kit Kat Club and another of Schneider’s renters, Fräulein “Fritzie” Kost (Caitlin Rose), who uses her room for professional encounters with sailors.
Cliff is finding it difficult to write, what with all the partying going on, and Ernst steps in to offer him employment: traveling to Paris and returning with unspecified contraband. Neslund’s Ernst is chilling, not because he’s creepy, but precisely because he is not. In an echo perhaps of Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil,” Ernst is a sincere and trustworthy good friend to Cliff. Even once he’s revealed to be wearing a swastika and starts doing Nazi-like things, he still exudes a certain gentleness that makes one wish one could go on liking him.
Meanwhile, Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz’s courtship has continued, and they invite everyone to their engagement party, where things go very wrong indeed. Anxious to get back at the landlady for curtailing her visitors, Fritzie denounces Herr Schultz as Jewish, and Fraulein Schneider reluctantly breaks off her liaison with him, citing a need for survival in the coming dark days.
Shocked by the revelation that Ernst is a Nazi and Sally is pregnant, Cliff decides to make a run for it. He offers Sally a life with him back in America, but Sally’s not on the same page and chooses an abortion and a return to the Kit Cat Club. “The party’s over,” Cliff observes, reality finally knocking on his door. While Sally goes onstage and sings, almost through clenched teeth, Cliff sits down and writes, finally, what he came there for: “…and it was the end of the world and I was dancing with Sally Bowles. And we were both asleep.”
The Emcee, meanwhile, who has been slowly falling apart throughout the second act as the show accelerates toward a now-inevitable ending, comes out for one last time and repeats his opening lines, almost on a sob: “We have no troubles here. Here, life is beautiful.” And the sound of the train becomes louder and longer and more and more unbearabl
It’s important to stress that while some roles are more prominent than others, what Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has done here is truly an ensemble piece. The cast was in rehearsal for over a month before opening, and that time and dedication shows.
Peregrine has a tradition of bringing very young, very talented actors/singers/dancers to Provincetown, and this cast is no exception (the Emcee is one year out of high school). It would seem a challenge for an older couple to hold its own against the sheer energy of youth and talent, yet curiously enough that isn’t even necessary: they’re all working together, making each other shine. It’s breathtaking.
The escapism and hedonism of German youth is superbly depicted by the Kit Kat boys and girls, who love their drugs, sex, and booze. One can’t say enough about the Kit Kat Club performers: Malley Puc as Rosie, Katie Elman as Lulu, Emily Stockwell as Frenchie, Grace Smyth as Texas, Bella Rusli as Helga, Troy Lingelbach as Bobby, Lipe Lucarelli as Victor, Nick Godfrey as Herman/Max, and Luke Ryan as Hans. Puc’s gorilla en pointe in Act Two is chilling. There is no misplaced note, no misstep, no moment through the whole production when they are not simply dazzling.
And it’s not just the cast. I’ve mentioned Kyle Pleasant’s direction in passing, but it really deserves a review on its own; it’s nothing short of brilliant. He seduces the audience into believing they’re seeing a big, beautiful show with bright lights and big, beautiful numbers, and then turns it into something else seamlessly, gradually, and skillfully, in a grim parallel to the way fascism did—and does—arrive. The first few scenes are imbued with the Weimar sex club atmosphere: naughty, sometimes beautiful, often a little perverted, but without a tremendous subtext. Then, slowly, the subtext begins to creep in, and the energy in the theater changes, the audience shifting into gradual discomfort. It’s remarkable to feel. He knows just how to play with the signature Kander and Ebb practice of attaching the most heinous words or emotional positions to a beautiful melody, and the resulting cognitive dissonance echoes in the audience’s minds long after the show ends.
Scenic designer Ellen Rousseau has outdone herself; her staging doesn’t just allow the story to be told, but enables and enhances it. Most Cabaret designers choose to make the club a tawdry, soiled environment; Rousseau’s set feels as if the club, like its denizens, might have been aiming for class, might have hoped for a better future. It also enables cast members to lurk and observe whatever’s onstage, offering an extra heightened feeling of foreboding danger.
Associate director/choreographer Drew Minard assisted Pleasant with the choreography, which could not have been more spot-on. While the audience loved the Kick Line (despite its own creepy message of conformity), I thought the most powerful piece in many ways—but especially in its choreography—was Money; it even ends with something not unlike a dismissive rap gesture that subtly but frighteningly connects Weimar in the 20th century to America in the 21st. Pleasant harnesses and directs the talent and energy of this cast so that it absolutely explodes on stage. It’s breathtaking.
Key in the subtle shift of energy is the lighting. Gifford Williams is an artist who paints with light, building tension and then shattering it. Seth Bodie’s costumes are lush and sexy and alluring—until they’re not; the Emcee’s splendid outfits degrade during the course of the show, while the garters-and-lace outfits reek of sex and desperation. Chris Mateer’s sound lulls and then awakens. Chad Hayduk’s makeup falls just short of caricature and portrays personalities as much as does the acting. The band (including a pitch-perfect accordion) sets the scene and drives the plot. Like I said, this is a true ensemble effort.
Oddly enough, this production was selected several years ago; executive producing director Adam Berry and artistic director Ben Berry had no idea, then, how chillingly apt these performances would be in 2019. It’s a story about the folly of ignoring what is happening, of deciding that survival trumps morality, of hoping (with Herr Schultz) that “it will pass, I promise.” It’s a story that could, in its own way, be ripped from today’s headlines.
Peregrine just gets everything right, down to the smallest details. The punch served at the bar is a pineapple concoction, echoing the onstage gift from the fruit merchant to his landlady. The cast photos in the program aren’t standard acting headshots, but gorgeous portraits in character. The cast visited the Auschwitz Museum in NY together to contextualize their performances. There is nothing Peregrine can do wrong. Every year I think the productions can’t possibly improve, and every year they do. Peregrine’s Cabaret is a spellbinding invitation to party on with them into the apocalypse.
Say yes.
And yet I’ll try.
The time is the 1930s. The place is Berlin. The decadence and excesses associated with Weimar Germany are at their last flowering when an aspiring American novelist, Clifford Bradshaw (Owen O’Leary), arrives with little more than a typewriter and a somewhat naïve expectation of being inspired by the city. He is befriended by Ernst Ludwig (Eli Neslund) who takes him to the Kit Kat Club, a cabaret notorious for its debauchery, fluid sexuality, and wild, carefree attitudes.
“In here… life is beautiful!” declares the Kit Kat Club’s Emcee (the exceptionally beautiful and talented Ryan McNevin), who’s also the show’s narrator. “Leave your troubles outside!” But one feels it might be already too late for that to be possible.
Cliff has stumbled into precisely the sort of place he wants to write about; he is a wide-eyed, naïve voyeur. That isn’t lost on Sally Bowles (Sarah Thorn), who’s happy to take Cliff for all he has—including moving herself in with him when she’s fired from the club. It’s in their relationship that we see one of director Kyle Pleasant’s brilliantly unexpected twists, distinguishing this production from other interpretations: O’Leary and Thorn’s couple have fallen together by circumstance, and there’s nothing in their understated interactions that screams romance. She’s a third-rate singer, he’s a novelist without a plot, and each sees in the other a path forward in their respective career. Sally and Cliff are reserved, almost rote with each other, except in the moments when one (mostly Sally) wants something from the other.
This stands in sharp contrast to the real romance of the show, that of landlady Fraulein Schneider (Halcyone Joseph Cabral) and fruit merchant Herr Schultz (Ian Leahy). Their sweet romance is in contrast to the lewd overt sexuality of the Kit Kat Club and another of Schneider’s renters, Fräulein “Fritzie” Kost (Caitlin Rose), who uses her room for professional encounters with sailors.
Cliff is finding it difficult to write, what with all the partying going on, and Ernst steps in to offer him employment: traveling to Paris and returning with unspecified contraband. Neslund’s Ernst is chilling, not because he’s creepy, but precisely because he is not. In an echo perhaps of Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil,” Ernst is a sincere and trustworthy good friend to Cliff. Even once he’s revealed to be wearing a swastika and starts doing Nazi-like things, he still exudes a certain gentleness that makes one wish one could go on liking him.
Meanwhile, Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz’s courtship has continued, and they invite everyone to their engagement party, where things go very wrong indeed. Anxious to get back at the landlady for curtailing her visitors, Fritzie denounces Herr Schultz as Jewish, and Fraulein Schneider reluctantly breaks off her liaison with him, citing a need for survival in the coming dark days.
Shocked by the revelation that Ernst is a Nazi and Sally is pregnant, Cliff decides to make a run for it. He offers Sally a life with him back in America, but Sally’s not on the same page and chooses an abortion and a return to the Kit Cat Club. “The party’s over,” Cliff observes, reality finally knocking on his door. While Sally goes onstage and sings, almost through clenched teeth, Cliff sits down and writes, finally, what he came there for: “…and it was the end of the world and I was dancing with Sally Bowles. And we were both asleep.”
The Emcee, meanwhile, who has been slowly falling apart throughout the second act as the show accelerates toward a now-inevitable ending, comes out for one last time and repeats his opening lines, almost on a sob: “We have no troubles here. Here, life is beautiful.” And the sound of the train becomes louder and longer and more and more unbearabl
It’s important to stress that while some roles are more prominent than others, what Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has done here is truly an ensemble piece. The cast was in rehearsal for over a month before opening, and that time and dedication shows.
Peregrine has a tradition of bringing very young, very talented actors/singers/dancers to Provincetown, and this cast is no exception (the Emcee is one year out of high school). It would seem a challenge for an older couple to hold its own against the sheer energy of youth and talent, yet curiously enough that isn’t even necessary: they’re all working together, making each other shine. It’s breathtaking.
The escapism and hedonism of German youth is superbly depicted by the Kit Kat boys and girls, who love their drugs, sex, and booze. One can’t say enough about the Kit Kat Club performers: Malley Puc as Rosie, Katie Elman as Lulu, Emily Stockwell as Frenchie, Grace Smyth as Texas, Bella Rusli as Helga, Troy Lingelbach as Bobby, Lipe Lucarelli as Victor, Nick Godfrey as Herman/Max, and Luke Ryan as Hans. Puc’s gorilla en pointe in Act Two is chilling. There is no misplaced note, no misstep, no moment through the whole production when they are not simply dazzling.
And it’s not just the cast. I’ve mentioned Kyle Pleasant’s direction in passing, but it really deserves a review on its own; it’s nothing short of brilliant. He seduces the audience into believing they’re seeing a big, beautiful show with bright lights and big, beautiful numbers, and then turns it into something else seamlessly, gradually, and skillfully, in a grim parallel to the way fascism did—and does—arrive. The first few scenes are imbued with the Weimar sex club atmosphere: naughty, sometimes beautiful, often a little perverted, but without a tremendous subtext. Then, slowly, the subtext begins to creep in, and the energy in the theater changes, the audience shifting into gradual discomfort. It’s remarkable to feel. He knows just how to play with the signature Kander and Ebb practice of attaching the most heinous words or emotional positions to a beautiful melody, and the resulting cognitive dissonance echoes in the audience’s minds long after the show ends.
Scenic designer Ellen Rousseau has outdone herself; her staging doesn’t just allow the story to be told, but enables and enhances it. Most Cabaret designers choose to make the club a tawdry, soiled environment; Rousseau’s set feels as if the club, like its denizens, might have been aiming for class, might have hoped for a better future. It also enables cast members to lurk and observe whatever’s onstage, offering an extra heightened feeling of foreboding danger.
Associate director/choreographer Drew Minard assisted Pleasant with the choreography, which could not have been more spot-on. While the audience loved the Kick Line (despite its own creepy message of conformity), I thought the most powerful piece in many ways—but especially in its choreography—was Money; it even ends with something not unlike a dismissive rap gesture that subtly but frighteningly connects Weimar in the 20th century to America in the 21st. Pleasant harnesses and directs the talent and energy of this cast so that it absolutely explodes on stage. It’s breathtaking.
Key in the subtle shift of energy is the lighting. Gifford Williams is an artist who paints with light, building tension and then shattering it. Seth Bodie’s costumes are lush and sexy and alluring—until they’re not; the Emcee’s splendid outfits degrade during the course of the show, while the garters-and-lace outfits reek of sex and desperation. Chris Mateer’s sound lulls and then awakens. Chad Hayduk’s makeup falls just short of caricature and portrays personalities as much as does the acting. The band (including a pitch-perfect accordion) sets the scene and drives the plot. Like I said, this is a true ensemble effort.
Oddly enough, this production was selected several years ago; executive producing director Adam Berry and artistic director Ben Berry had no idea, then, how chillingly apt these performances would be in 2019. It’s a story about the folly of ignoring what is happening, of deciding that survival trumps morality, of hoping (with Herr Schultz) that “it will pass, I promise.” It’s a story that could, in its own way, be ripped from today’s headlines.
Peregrine just gets everything right, down to the smallest details. The punch served at the bar is a pineapple concoction, echoing the onstage gift from the fruit merchant to his landlady. The cast photos in the program aren’t standard acting headshots, but gorgeous portraits in character. The cast visited the Auschwitz Museum in NY together to contextualize their performances. There is nothing Peregrine can do wrong. Every year I think the productions can’t possibly improve, and every year they do. Peregrine’s Cabaret is a spellbinding invitation to party on with them into the apocalypse.
Say yes.
Provincetown Banner
Peregrine’s ‘Cabaret’: an exquisite dance of doom
by Howard Karen
Germany in the early ’30s was a proud and highly civilized society that was grasping at solutions to its poverty and humiliation. Modernism was a beacon, traditions and inhibitions were discarded with disgust, radical movements flourished, and, especially in the capital city of Berlin, bohemians enjoyed unprecedented sexual freedom. This is where Hitler and the Nazis planted the seed of fascism and racism that would destroy Europe and exterminate millions of innocent souls. And it was also where Christopher Isherwood, a young British writer and one of the great gay artists of the 20th century, opened his eyes and found himself, his sexuality and his political and artistic truth.
He fled as the Nazis took over in 1933, eventually landing in California. His autobiographical “Berlin Stories,” including the novella “Goodbye to Berlin” and, within it, the story “Sally Bowles,” were adapted into a play, “I Am a Camera,” and eventually into the musical “Cabaret,” with indelible music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The show alternates between decadent numbers in Berlin’s Kit Kat Club cabaret and the drama of characters in the orbit of Cliff Bradshaw (an Isherwood stand-in). Brilliant productions, by Harold Prince on Broadway in 1966 — which made Joel Grey, playing the deliciously impish Emcee, a star — and especially the Sam Mendes revival of 1993 in London and 1998 on Broadway, with Alan Cumming as a far more lurid Emcee and (in New York) Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles, took Isherwood’s material to new and startling heights. That’s the basis for director-choreographer Kyle Pleasant’s eerie and engrossing Peregrine Theatre Ensemble production, which is playing through Aug. 31 at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown.
Unfortunately, the touchstone of “Cabaret” for most people is Bob Fosse’s dazzlingly choreographed and amply entertaining 1972 film, starring an Oscar-winning Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. Minnelli’s Sally was completely refashioned to fit her bubbly persona. No longer a British pariah, this cherubic Hollywood Sally belted out songs of irrepressible optimism and enthusiasm, completely contrary to the mood of Weimar Germany. The story of Fräulein Schneider and her Jewish paramour, Herr Schultz, was thrown out.
Thankfully, Pleasant’s Peregrine production hews closest to the Sam Mendes-Alan Cumming “Cabaret,” in the songs that are used (taking “Maybe This Time” from the movie and “I Don’t Care Much” from an early Kander-Ebb tryout) and in Sarah Thorn’s sweet-and-sad Sally Bowles. Thorn plays Sally as a callow blond waif with the ache of insecurity in her voice. She belongs at the Kit Kat Club and could never succeed as Cliff’s Midwest wifey, and she knows it.
Ryan McNevin’s youthful Emcee, and, indeed, the whole gender-fluid ensemble, give Pleasant’s “Cabaret” a fascinating millennial update. Caitlin Rose’s Fräulein Kost is brassy and sharp and her voice is powerful. Eli Neslund gives Nazi agitator Ernst Ludwig an easy friendliness and arrogance that’s pitch-perfect. Weimar decadence seems a little hoary in 2019: in today’s queer reality, it’s simply not that shocking. What Pleasant emphasizes instead is the threat of Nazism, in its extreme nationalism and facile demonization of the Jews. Though earlier “Cabaret” productions use dramatic twists and symbols to suggest Germany’s future, Pleasant is very direct and matter-of-fact. No spoilers here, but let’s say that it works, chillingly.
As the elderly lovebirds — landlady Fräulein Schneider and fruit merchant Herr Schultz — Halcyone Joseph Cabral and Ian Leahy deserve special mention. Cabral’s voice is haunting, while Leahy is gentle and touching. Their performances are, in a word, splendid.
Provincetown’s scenic maestro Ellen Rousseau has created another amazing set, a jagged mountain of picture frames, which provides a terrific warren of spaces for the actors to move in and out of, and for the band to be submerged in, and it suggests the filter of time.
Pleasant adds a wealth of memorable touches to this “Cabaret.” He puts Cliff — played and sung tenderly by Owen O’Leary — in a chair staring at the audience before the show begins. It foreshadows a fight to come, and also suggests the source of the story as Isherwood’s memory. Pleasant’s choreography, thrillingly executed by the ensemble, builds on the work of the masters who precede him. He eschews Fosse’s sexy extensions, for example, and shrewdly pivots the dance number “Money” around the attaché case Cliff uses to carry contraband. The show’s second act is a cavalcade of doom, though McNevin’s lovely rendering of “I Don’t Care Much” with Alan Cumming breathiness offers a melodic reverie.
The time is ripe for “Cabaret” in the era of Trump. Thank you to Adam and Ben Berry and the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble for bringing it back so handsomely and thoughtfully to Provincetown.
by Howard Karen
Germany in the early ’30s was a proud and highly civilized society that was grasping at solutions to its poverty and humiliation. Modernism was a beacon, traditions and inhibitions were discarded with disgust, radical movements flourished, and, especially in the capital city of Berlin, bohemians enjoyed unprecedented sexual freedom. This is where Hitler and the Nazis planted the seed of fascism and racism that would destroy Europe and exterminate millions of innocent souls. And it was also where Christopher Isherwood, a young British writer and one of the great gay artists of the 20th century, opened his eyes and found himself, his sexuality and his political and artistic truth.
He fled as the Nazis took over in 1933, eventually landing in California. His autobiographical “Berlin Stories,” including the novella “Goodbye to Berlin” and, within it, the story “Sally Bowles,” were adapted into a play, “I Am a Camera,” and eventually into the musical “Cabaret,” with indelible music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The show alternates between decadent numbers in Berlin’s Kit Kat Club cabaret and the drama of characters in the orbit of Cliff Bradshaw (an Isherwood stand-in). Brilliant productions, by Harold Prince on Broadway in 1966 — which made Joel Grey, playing the deliciously impish Emcee, a star — and especially the Sam Mendes revival of 1993 in London and 1998 on Broadway, with Alan Cumming as a far more lurid Emcee and (in New York) Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles, took Isherwood’s material to new and startling heights. That’s the basis for director-choreographer Kyle Pleasant’s eerie and engrossing Peregrine Theatre Ensemble production, which is playing through Aug. 31 at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown.
Unfortunately, the touchstone of “Cabaret” for most people is Bob Fosse’s dazzlingly choreographed and amply entertaining 1972 film, starring an Oscar-winning Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. Minnelli’s Sally was completely refashioned to fit her bubbly persona. No longer a British pariah, this cherubic Hollywood Sally belted out songs of irrepressible optimism and enthusiasm, completely contrary to the mood of Weimar Germany. The story of Fräulein Schneider and her Jewish paramour, Herr Schultz, was thrown out.
Thankfully, Pleasant’s Peregrine production hews closest to the Sam Mendes-Alan Cumming “Cabaret,” in the songs that are used (taking “Maybe This Time” from the movie and “I Don’t Care Much” from an early Kander-Ebb tryout) and in Sarah Thorn’s sweet-and-sad Sally Bowles. Thorn plays Sally as a callow blond waif with the ache of insecurity in her voice. She belongs at the Kit Kat Club and could never succeed as Cliff’s Midwest wifey, and she knows it.
Ryan McNevin’s youthful Emcee, and, indeed, the whole gender-fluid ensemble, give Pleasant’s “Cabaret” a fascinating millennial update. Caitlin Rose’s Fräulein Kost is brassy and sharp and her voice is powerful. Eli Neslund gives Nazi agitator Ernst Ludwig an easy friendliness and arrogance that’s pitch-perfect. Weimar decadence seems a little hoary in 2019: in today’s queer reality, it’s simply not that shocking. What Pleasant emphasizes instead is the threat of Nazism, in its extreme nationalism and facile demonization of the Jews. Though earlier “Cabaret” productions use dramatic twists and symbols to suggest Germany’s future, Pleasant is very direct and matter-of-fact. No spoilers here, but let’s say that it works, chillingly.
As the elderly lovebirds — landlady Fräulein Schneider and fruit merchant Herr Schultz — Halcyone Joseph Cabral and Ian Leahy deserve special mention. Cabral’s voice is haunting, while Leahy is gentle and touching. Their performances are, in a word, splendid.
Provincetown’s scenic maestro Ellen Rousseau has created another amazing set, a jagged mountain of picture frames, which provides a terrific warren of spaces for the actors to move in and out of, and for the band to be submerged in, and it suggests the filter of time.
Pleasant adds a wealth of memorable touches to this “Cabaret.” He puts Cliff — played and sung tenderly by Owen O’Leary — in a chair staring at the audience before the show begins. It foreshadows a fight to come, and also suggests the source of the story as Isherwood’s memory. Pleasant’s choreography, thrillingly executed by the ensemble, builds on the work of the masters who precede him. He eschews Fosse’s sexy extensions, for example, and shrewdly pivots the dance number “Money” around the attaché case Cliff uses to carry contraband. The show’s second act is a cavalcade of doom, though McNevin’s lovely rendering of “I Don’t Care Much” with Alan Cumming breathiness offers a melodic reverie.
The time is ripe for “Cabaret” in the era of Trump. Thank you to Adam and Ben Berry and the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble for bringing it back so handsomely and thoughtfully to Provincetown.
Provincetown Magazine
HAIR
The sun never stops shining on Peregrine’s exuberant production of HAIR
QueerGuru
When I first saw Hair The Musical at the Shaftesbury Avenue in London as a very impressionable young man, little did I think that 50 years later no longer young (but still fairly impressionable) would I be watching a new production in Provincetown where I now live.
The years have been kind to me, but even kinder to GALT MACDERMOT‘s rock music which captures that exhilarating period time without ever showing its age. THE PEREGRINE THEATER’S PRODUCTION OF HAIR THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK Musical is jammed packed with the sheer vitality and unceasing energy that the young cast imbue with such enthusiasm as if they too had actually been on the anti-war picket lines that marked our generation.
Hair tells the story of the “tribe” a group of politically active, long-haired hippies living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. The ‘leaders’ as such are Claude (KEVIN LAGASSE), his good friend Berger (Jeffrey Kelly), their roommate Sheila (DAISY LAYMAN), and they and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves, and the sexual revolution with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society.
As Claude discovers it is not that easy avoiding the pressures of either his parents, or a very conservative America, when he is forced to decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or go serve in Vietnam, and both compromise his pacifist principles and risking his life.
McDermott wrote Hair with GEROME RAGNI and JAMES RADO and although the ‘book’ of the show is important, it is the catalogue of songs with their groundbreaking lyrics that both really define the show and tell the actual story. It starts withAquarius : Let The Sunshine In, and includes memorable numbers such as ‘Easy To Be Hard’ ‘I Got Life‘ ‘Where Do I Go’ ‘Manchester England’ ‘Black Boys/White Boys’ and of course ‘Good Morning Sunshine’.
It is difficult to understand why the original production 50 years ago was greeted with very mixed reviews, as it also did on Broadway earlier that year. Part of the problem was possibly that the focus then was on the notoriety of the nudity which seemed to over-shadow the actual Show, and also the Country was still rather conservative. Nevertheless it still played for almost 2000 performances.
Subsequent revivals fared much better and in 2009 the Broadway one picked up both a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award.
Now in 2018, on its 50th Anniversary, the Peregrine’s exuberant production may serve as a nostalgic memory for my generation, but it works equally as a compelling way to learn about this vital period for younger generations including the talented cast of millennials who brought this whole thing to life. More important than that, what occurs nightly at Fishermans Hall is an imaginative fast-paced emotionally charged piece of very entertaining theater.
Very creatively directed and choreographed by KYLE PLEASANT (who also directed Peregrine’s Chicago last year) the young ensemble cast all gave faultless pitch-perfect performances in a show which gives nearly everyone at least one spot to shine. Lagasse as Claude was more than impressive carrying the axis of the story ; Layman playing Sheila had a really stunning voice as did RHETTA MYKEAL playing Dionne a role that seemed like it was made for her. When it comes to scene stealing however, then that award has to go to Alexander Tan who really milked his cameo as Margaret Mead.
The final, and biggest credit, has to go to ADAM AND BEN BERRY who again have proved that they possess one of the biggest sets of theatrical balls in this Town. This is the second large scale piece they have now presented with such enormously high production standards and all that incurs, and the do seemingly with nerves of steel. They make an outstanding contribution with to theater in this town and with such chutzpah, and so the very least we can do is make sure that they get the audiences they so deserve.
It's time to imbibe the tribe: 'HAIR' at Provincetown's
Fishermen Hall
Howard Karen - Provincetown Banner
The Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of “Hair,” now playing at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown, had several thorny obstacles to overcome. For one, the company has high standards to uphold: its production of “Chicago” last summer attained a level of professional polish and youthful energy that would be difficult to equal or surpass. Peregrine functions like a summer apprenticeship for aspiring actors from far and wide, and this year’s show would have to provide them with a suitable vehicle in which to display their talents.
And then there is “Hair” itself: a musical that broke boundaries on Broadway when it blasted onto the stage in 1968, a “tribal” rock opera about multiracial dropouts living in New York’s Central Park without societal constraints, taking drugs, experiencing “free love,” protesting the Vietnam War draft and singing one great song after another with lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot (“Aquarius,” the title song, “Easy to Be Hard,” “Where Do I Go?” and “Good Morning Starshine,” to name a few). The musical’s book, also by Ragni and Rado, is very much trapped in that 1968 time capsule, which a 2009 revival on Broadway, with Will Swenson as Berger and Gavin Creel as Claude — the roles originally played by Ragni and Rado themselves — largely confirmed, despite their star-making performances.
Peregrine has turned those obstacles into opportunity. “Hair,” having its 50th anniversary, looks reborn in relevance in an era of teen protests over the slaughter of 17 students and staff at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The show’s youth culture theme couldn’t be more fitting for Peregrine’s learn-and-perform program. The young cast of this production has palpable energy: they feel like a tribe — and a consummately talented one at that.
In directing and choreographing “Hair,” Kyle Pleasant (back from “Chicago”) made some crucial and artful decisions. He turned the continual parade of songs in the musical into a continuous spectacle of dance. The stage — and the aisles — of Fishermen Hall pulse with movement. Pleasant doesn’t rely on nostalgic ’60s dance moves, either, and goes for balletic sweep instead. This, too, reinforces the tribe. As he did last year with “Chicago” and its Bob Fosse legacy, Pleasant (and dance captains Meridien Terrell and Michael Whitty) maintain a level of proficiency far beyond community theater. The cast dances with confidence, and their ease is infectious.
Another smart choice: Pleasant and his production team (scenic designer Christopher Heilman, lighting designer Gifford Williams and sound designer Chris Page) avoided constructing an elaborate set. Instead, the stage is a swirling mass of fabric and luminescent props. This efficiently evokes a compound of transients in Central Park, and it gives a visual complement to the choreography. The costumes (Seth Bodie), wigs (Carol Sherry) and makeup (Chad Hayduk) are tasteful and restrained, quoting the ’60s without being slavish. Having the cast go nude behind a translucent sheet is also a nice touch — it’s neither a peek-a-boo effect nor a casual throwaway.
“Hair” is not naïve, despite its idealism. Vietnam is ever-present, and the draft — a threat that those who grew up with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not experienced — is a central plot thread. The names of the dead are projected onstage at a climactic moment, and Claude’s military fate is pushed to the fore.
Though the heart of the production is the cast as a whole, as a tribe, some performers do shine. Rhetta Mykeal, as Dionne, has a strong and beautiful voice. Daisy Layman, as Sheila, gives her solos a rhythm-and-blues lilt. Rebecca Zeller, as Chrissy, does a lovely job with the song “Frank Mills.” Brendan Williamson, as Woof, and Nigel Richards, as Hud, have charm to spare. As Berger, the tribe’s impish prince, Jeffrey Kelly is fearless and honest (and not smarmy), and Kevin Lagasse, as Claude, is surprisingly vulnerable and moving.
It’s a credit to Peregrine, Pleasant and the cast that this “Hair” is earnest and tragic and not period and cute. That’s because all us, young and old, are living in the political reality of 2018. And the time for the tribe has once again arrived.
Peregrine Theatre's Production of HAIR is Timeless
Ptownie.com
From the Summer of Love to the Summer of Trump: Peregrine Theatre’s Production of Hair is Timeless
Unlike several other recent revivals, the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of Hair doesn’t open the show by ostentatiously underlining similarities between the two eras—Peregrine’s far too smart and far too subtle for that. Instead, we’re offered the opportunity to see the ‘60s—confused, hopeful, cynical, drugged, and ultimately innocent—and draw our own conclusions as to a reciprocal call to action for 2018.
Much of what Hair grappled with was new to that generation—shifting gender roles, fluidity around sexual identity and preferences, racial awareness in the wake of the Loving decision—and yet much of it is still unlearned lessons today. Did they really believe that love was all it took to stop a war, to find nirvana, to escape parental strictures and to live high? Looking at this tribe’s young hopeful faces, it’s hard to not think they did—and do.
The tribe is led by Berger (Jeffrey Kelly) and Claude Bukowski (Kevin Lagasse), and spends much of the first act rebelling: they reject their own pasts and make up something more interesting; they embrace the Age of Aquarius, in which all things will be put right; they make fun of history and patriotism; they pursue what today we’d call environmentalism; they let their hair down in every way imaginable and struggle with the demands of conventional parents and school officials.
There are crises that threaten the tribe’s cohesiveness; in particular, Sheila (Daisy Layman) compares Berger’s declared concern for social justice in the abstract to his poor treatment of people in the particular. But as the first act ends, the major crisis is about human sacrifice, both in the plural and in the personal: like other young men, Claude has received his draft notice but is ultimately unable to burn it as the rest have done and wonders instead “Where Do I Go.” Christopher Heilman’s scenic design combines poignantly with Gifford Williams’ lighting for an emotional visual drumroll of the names of Vietnam’s American dead.
From then on, the seriousness of the situation—despite the dreamy “trip” sequence—accelerates, and even as one knows what to expect, the second act leaves audiences emotionally drained; the scene in particular of a Buddhist monk (Alexander Tan) set afire in protest is sickeningly real. The show ends musically on a celebratory note, though one is left wondering exactly what one is celebrating. This is where Peregrine’s genius comes in: it is at the end, and not at the beginning, that we’re reminded how far we haven’t come. Our #MeToo consciousness might make us smugly aware of the impossibility of a song like “Donna” being written in 2018, but the final images—that include women in hijab and the plaintive urging to “Wake Up, America”—ensure we don’t forget this is a fight that hasn’t yet been won.
I seriously could call out every single actor on stage: Peregrine is, as always, pitch-perfect. Every actor has a distinct personality even within the ensemble, and when they dance together they seem to draw strength both from each other and from being part of the tribe—Kyle Pleasant’s choreography allows for individuality within a single flowing organism. And they’re all, quite simply, terrific.
I must mention the two female leads, Layman and Rhetta Mykeal, outstanding actors with voices that bring down the house—the audience broke into applause during their final duet within “Eyes, Look Your Last,” emotionally powerful and brilliantly executed. The characters they portray could not be more different (a nod to costumer Seth Bodie along with the actors themselves) and yet are equally strong and interesting. (There’s more mystery to the women characters in Hair, possibly because of misogyny; women’s complaint at the time was, “They’re out fighting the fucking revolution, and we’re making goddamn dinner again?”)
And it’s a sheer pleasure to watch—and listen to—Lagasse and Kelly together. The two have a remarkable onstage chemistry underlined by tight harmonies in their musical numbers (“Hair” is particularly good) and their projection of cohesion. Lagasse handles Claude’s confusion, his unpopular decision, and his acceptance of its consequences with grace and aplomb… and makes one’s heart ache for him.
Pleasant returns as director and choreographer after his breathtaking work at Peregrine last year on Chicagoand is every bit as terrific here. The play pulsates with energy and vigor, and it was fascinating to watch the audience—many of whose members were of the generation to have experienced hippie life first-hand—respond.
“How dare they try to end this beauty?” asks the cast; but it’s Peregrine that has the response: as long as we can tell the story, the beauty won’t be lost. The ensemble’s production of Hair is a testament to the power of theatre and a reminder that idealism could just make a difference again.
Peregrine has a 'HAIR' day in Provincetown
By Sophie Ruehr / Banner Correspondent
Wigged youth sporting flowing tasseled robes, headbands, embroidered bell-bottom jeans and copious amounts of armpit hair have overrun Fishermen Hall. They pace, practice footwork and stretch in the aisles of the theater. Several are doing vocal warm-ups. A nervous energy fills the room as they giggle and chat with one another.
Director and choreographer Kyle Pleasant calls the group to attention and says that he is excited to see their hard work come together in this rehearsal. “Be invested in every moment,” he tells them. “Use the words to change the air in this room.”
Members of the cast glide into their positions. They rest their heads in each other’s laps, their limbs intertwining, still laughing and talking quietly. A low piano and slow, erratic drumbeat are the only signs that the show has begun. But then actor Rhetta Mykeal enters, and the theater blossoms to life with “Age of Aquarius,” the opening number.
It’s the first run-through of the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of “Hair,” a week or so before it opens (on July 10) at Fishermen Hall at the Provincetown Schools. And though “the moon is in the Seventh House” that’s not the only alignment giving this “Age of Aquarius” a mystical feeling. The show marks the 15th anniversary of Peregrine executive director Adam Berry’s first summer in Provincetown, when he starred as Claude in the Provincetown Theater Company’s 2003 production of “Hair.” It’s also the 50th anniversary of the musical “Hair” itself, which opened on Broadway in April of 1968 and ran for more than four years.
Berry and his husband, Ben Berry, founded Peregrine in 2012. “We wanted to do something that would give back to the community,” he says. “To us, an ‘ensemble’ means a group of people who study the craft of theater, know it well and work together seamlessly to create something.” In the future, Berry hopes that the Peregrine can produce shows year-round. “We want theater to be back in the forefront of P’town. It’s the birthplace of American theater,” he says.
“Hair” is the loosely told story of the “Tribe,” a group of hippies living as a collective in Central Park in Manhattan. With lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Galt MacDermot, this seminal rock musical was born out of the antiwar and free love movements of the ’60s. It was controversial when it first premiered — Tom O’Horgan’s Broadway production featured full-frontal nudity by most of the cast and lots of sex, drugs and rock music.
The Peregrine production continues the musical’s radical traditions. Although the stage at Fishermen Hall is small, the Tribe makes use of every inch, lying on the floor, climbing onto chairs and running through the audience. The stage itself becomes an instrument, as members of the Tribe stomp or slap the ground to the beat. The entire hall is alive with energy.
It feels organic to Provincetown — redolent of the ebb and flow of the ocean. Shifts in tone from soft to loud to somber again unfold smoothly in quick progression, a testament to the cast’s hard work and collaboration.
Stage manager Brenna Hull says that the cast has even been communing outside of rehearsal. “The actors are getting into the mindset of the Tribe. It’s all about energy and making sure everyone feels supported and loved,” Hull says. Several members of the ensemble are living together.
Daisy Layman, who plays Sheila, an activist, is entering her senior year at the Boston Conservatory. The Peregrine production is her third time performing in “Hair.” “It’s been so different every time,” Layman says. She adds that Peregrine’s version is more “dance-heavy” than others she’s been in, which have been more “movement-based.” The cast is also closer. “I love how open everyone is,” Layman says. “For a show like this, you have to be.”
The actors spent two intensive weeks in New York learning the music and choreography. “I would be sore after dancing for eight hours at rehearsal,” Layman says. They arrived in Provincetown in late June to begin rehearsals in Fishermen Hall.
Berry says that the company considers “Hair,” like all of its shows, part of a “semi-educational summer program.” The cast, composed of college students and recent graduates, will be taking classes in musical theater throughout the season. One class will be led by musical director Matthew Hougland, who will coach the ensemble on healthy singing practice. Maintaining voices is key to sustaining the production, Berry says, especially because “Hair” will run for two months with four performances each week (Tuesday to Friday).
Layman is undaunted. She thinks that with the variety of events and theme weeks in Provincetown, audiences will each have unique feedback. “It will be a completely different show every time. You find ways to keep it fresh,” she says.
Though the script is the same as it was in 1968, in rehearsal the ensemble channels today’s politics. “We’ve talked about immigration and standing up for something you’re passionate about,” Hull says.
Jeffrey Kelly, who plays Berger in “Hair” and grew up in Barnstable, says he hopes the musical will inspire audiences to advocate for change. “The show was written in 1968, and it’s still relevant now in 2018. It’s a necessary show at this time,” he says.
Berry believes the activist politics in “Hair” will not fall on deaf ears. “P’town is not a town to keep its mouth shut,” he says. “They’re protesting gun laws. They’re going to the women’s march. They’re fighting for what they think is right. We can always learn a lesson from this musical. ‘Hair’ is one of those shows that’s always timely.”
'HAIR' Still Filled With Emotion
by Sue Mellen - Cape Cod Times
PROVINCETOWN – It seems impossible that “Hair” is a half-century old. Wasn’t it just yesterday that hippies in psychedelic prints camped out in city parks, anti-war protests spread across the country and the evening news ended with body counts?
While five decades have passed since the then-controversial show hit Broadway in 1968, the musical still takes audiences on an emotion-filled journey. Songs like “Aquarius,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Easy to Be Hard” and, of course, “Hair” take older theatergoers back to their youth and serve as a history lesson to young people.
The Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s version of the foray back to hippiedom – directed and choreographed by Kyle Pleasant – is filled with athletic, well-choreographed dance numbers and strong, sure voices that do justice to the steady stream of now-familiar musical numbers. From the show opener – “Aquarius” – through the gut-wrenching closing scene, the young troupe uses song and dance to draw the audience into the world of Timothy Leary, flower power and free love. And the players effectively extend the stage, bringing dance numbers out to the theater aisles and engaging with the audience. In one enjoyable moment of comic relief, Margaret Mead (Alexander Tan) makes an appearance and coaxes an audience member onto the stage with her. (Luckily, the theatergoer she chose on opening night was a good sport and joined in the fun.)
At the heart of “Hair” is the story of Claude, a long-haired young man facing a summons from Uncle Sam to chop off his mane and travel to the tropical paradise of Vietnam. He is an Everyman representing the thousands of American men whose numbers came up – too often in more ways than one. He surrounds himself with a tribe – a sort of family of brothers and sisters intent on escaping the confines of conservative America by burning draft cards and tripping out.
Kevin Lagasse is thoroughly engaging as the tribe’s chieftain. Beginning with his delivery of the lyrics, “I believe in God, and I believe that God believes in Claude, that’s me,” he is the ultra-confident and sexy alpha male leading the tribe into Learyland. He is a lithe and athletic dancer, and his strong voice rings true in numbers like “Manchester, England” and “I Got Life.” And his performance in dramatic scenes – especially near the final curtain – is at once subtle and heart-wrenching.
Rhetta Mykeal plays the other uncrowned leader of the tribe, Dionne. She leads numbers like “Aquarius,” “Walking in Space” and “White Boys” with a confident authority.
One especially notable performance was Daisy Layman’s as tribe member Sheila. The Boston Conservatory at Berklee senior has the voice and demeanor of a torch singer as she belts out songs like “Good Morning Starshine” and the touching “Easy to Be Hard.” And Cape Cod native Jeffrey Kelly as Berger and Lexie Tobin as the heavily pregnant Jennie are more than competent in their supporting roles. Actually, the entire ensemble performs production numbers with energy and expertise, engaging the audience with one production number after another.
The set is simple but effective, making the impressive special effects seem that much more striking. In one scene, names of deceased servicemen scroll across the entire curtain, leading into the once-infamous nude scene. But, have no fear; the scene is handled tastefully and inoffensively. And one costume note: This reviewer would have sworn that Tobin (as Jennie) was actually pregnant, thanks to a very lifelike costume. (Costume designer is Seth Bodie.)
In the end, Peregrine’s “Hair” is both entertaining and touching.
QueerGuru
When I first saw Hair The Musical at the Shaftesbury Avenue in London as a very impressionable young man, little did I think that 50 years later no longer young (but still fairly impressionable) would I be watching a new production in Provincetown where I now live.
The years have been kind to me, but even kinder to GALT MACDERMOT‘s rock music which captures that exhilarating period time without ever showing its age. THE PEREGRINE THEATER’S PRODUCTION OF HAIR THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK Musical is jammed packed with the sheer vitality and unceasing energy that the young cast imbue with such enthusiasm as if they too had actually been on the anti-war picket lines that marked our generation.
Hair tells the story of the “tribe” a group of politically active, long-haired hippies living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. The ‘leaders’ as such are Claude (KEVIN LAGASSE), his good friend Berger (Jeffrey Kelly), their roommate Sheila (DAISY LAYMAN), and they and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves, and the sexual revolution with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society.
As Claude discovers it is not that easy avoiding the pressures of either his parents, or a very conservative America, when he is forced to decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or go serve in Vietnam, and both compromise his pacifist principles and risking his life.
McDermott wrote Hair with GEROME RAGNI and JAMES RADO and although the ‘book’ of the show is important, it is the catalogue of songs with their groundbreaking lyrics that both really define the show and tell the actual story. It starts withAquarius : Let The Sunshine In, and includes memorable numbers such as ‘Easy To Be Hard’ ‘I Got Life‘ ‘Where Do I Go’ ‘Manchester England’ ‘Black Boys/White Boys’ and of course ‘Good Morning Sunshine’.
It is difficult to understand why the original production 50 years ago was greeted with very mixed reviews, as it also did on Broadway earlier that year. Part of the problem was possibly that the focus then was on the notoriety of the nudity which seemed to over-shadow the actual Show, and also the Country was still rather conservative. Nevertheless it still played for almost 2000 performances.
Subsequent revivals fared much better and in 2009 the Broadway one picked up both a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award.
Now in 2018, on its 50th Anniversary, the Peregrine’s exuberant production may serve as a nostalgic memory for my generation, but it works equally as a compelling way to learn about this vital period for younger generations including the talented cast of millennials who brought this whole thing to life. More important than that, what occurs nightly at Fishermans Hall is an imaginative fast-paced emotionally charged piece of very entertaining theater.
Very creatively directed and choreographed by KYLE PLEASANT (who also directed Peregrine’s Chicago last year) the young ensemble cast all gave faultless pitch-perfect performances in a show which gives nearly everyone at least one spot to shine. Lagasse as Claude was more than impressive carrying the axis of the story ; Layman playing Sheila had a really stunning voice as did RHETTA MYKEAL playing Dionne a role that seemed like it was made for her. When it comes to scene stealing however, then that award has to go to Alexander Tan who really milked his cameo as Margaret Mead.
The final, and biggest credit, has to go to ADAM AND BEN BERRY who again have proved that they possess one of the biggest sets of theatrical balls in this Town. This is the second large scale piece they have now presented with such enormously high production standards and all that incurs, and the do seemingly with nerves of steel. They make an outstanding contribution with to theater in this town and with such chutzpah, and so the very least we can do is make sure that they get the audiences they so deserve.
It's time to imbibe the tribe: 'HAIR' at Provincetown's
Fishermen Hall
Howard Karen - Provincetown Banner
The Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of “Hair,” now playing at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown, had several thorny obstacles to overcome. For one, the company has high standards to uphold: its production of “Chicago” last summer attained a level of professional polish and youthful energy that would be difficult to equal or surpass. Peregrine functions like a summer apprenticeship for aspiring actors from far and wide, and this year’s show would have to provide them with a suitable vehicle in which to display their talents.
And then there is “Hair” itself: a musical that broke boundaries on Broadway when it blasted onto the stage in 1968, a “tribal” rock opera about multiracial dropouts living in New York’s Central Park without societal constraints, taking drugs, experiencing “free love,” protesting the Vietnam War draft and singing one great song after another with lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot (“Aquarius,” the title song, “Easy to Be Hard,” “Where Do I Go?” and “Good Morning Starshine,” to name a few). The musical’s book, also by Ragni and Rado, is very much trapped in that 1968 time capsule, which a 2009 revival on Broadway, with Will Swenson as Berger and Gavin Creel as Claude — the roles originally played by Ragni and Rado themselves — largely confirmed, despite their star-making performances.
Peregrine has turned those obstacles into opportunity. “Hair,” having its 50th anniversary, looks reborn in relevance in an era of teen protests over the slaughter of 17 students and staff at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The show’s youth culture theme couldn’t be more fitting for Peregrine’s learn-and-perform program. The young cast of this production has palpable energy: they feel like a tribe — and a consummately talented one at that.
In directing and choreographing “Hair,” Kyle Pleasant (back from “Chicago”) made some crucial and artful decisions. He turned the continual parade of songs in the musical into a continuous spectacle of dance. The stage — and the aisles — of Fishermen Hall pulse with movement. Pleasant doesn’t rely on nostalgic ’60s dance moves, either, and goes for balletic sweep instead. This, too, reinforces the tribe. As he did last year with “Chicago” and its Bob Fosse legacy, Pleasant (and dance captains Meridien Terrell and Michael Whitty) maintain a level of proficiency far beyond community theater. The cast dances with confidence, and their ease is infectious.
Another smart choice: Pleasant and his production team (scenic designer Christopher Heilman, lighting designer Gifford Williams and sound designer Chris Page) avoided constructing an elaborate set. Instead, the stage is a swirling mass of fabric and luminescent props. This efficiently evokes a compound of transients in Central Park, and it gives a visual complement to the choreography. The costumes (Seth Bodie), wigs (Carol Sherry) and makeup (Chad Hayduk) are tasteful and restrained, quoting the ’60s without being slavish. Having the cast go nude behind a translucent sheet is also a nice touch — it’s neither a peek-a-boo effect nor a casual throwaway.
“Hair” is not naïve, despite its idealism. Vietnam is ever-present, and the draft — a threat that those who grew up with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not experienced — is a central plot thread. The names of the dead are projected onstage at a climactic moment, and Claude’s military fate is pushed to the fore.
Though the heart of the production is the cast as a whole, as a tribe, some performers do shine. Rhetta Mykeal, as Dionne, has a strong and beautiful voice. Daisy Layman, as Sheila, gives her solos a rhythm-and-blues lilt. Rebecca Zeller, as Chrissy, does a lovely job with the song “Frank Mills.” Brendan Williamson, as Woof, and Nigel Richards, as Hud, have charm to spare. As Berger, the tribe’s impish prince, Jeffrey Kelly is fearless and honest (and not smarmy), and Kevin Lagasse, as Claude, is surprisingly vulnerable and moving.
It’s a credit to Peregrine, Pleasant and the cast that this “Hair” is earnest and tragic and not period and cute. That’s because all us, young and old, are living in the political reality of 2018. And the time for the tribe has once again arrived.
Peregrine Theatre's Production of HAIR is Timeless
Ptownie.com
From the Summer of Love to the Summer of Trump: Peregrine Theatre’s Production of Hair is Timeless
Unlike several other recent revivals, the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of Hair doesn’t open the show by ostentatiously underlining similarities between the two eras—Peregrine’s far too smart and far too subtle for that. Instead, we’re offered the opportunity to see the ‘60s—confused, hopeful, cynical, drugged, and ultimately innocent—and draw our own conclusions as to a reciprocal call to action for 2018.
Much of what Hair grappled with was new to that generation—shifting gender roles, fluidity around sexual identity and preferences, racial awareness in the wake of the Loving decision—and yet much of it is still unlearned lessons today. Did they really believe that love was all it took to stop a war, to find nirvana, to escape parental strictures and to live high? Looking at this tribe’s young hopeful faces, it’s hard to not think they did—and do.
The tribe is led by Berger (Jeffrey Kelly) and Claude Bukowski (Kevin Lagasse), and spends much of the first act rebelling: they reject their own pasts and make up something more interesting; they embrace the Age of Aquarius, in which all things will be put right; they make fun of history and patriotism; they pursue what today we’d call environmentalism; they let their hair down in every way imaginable and struggle with the demands of conventional parents and school officials.
There are crises that threaten the tribe’s cohesiveness; in particular, Sheila (Daisy Layman) compares Berger’s declared concern for social justice in the abstract to his poor treatment of people in the particular. But as the first act ends, the major crisis is about human sacrifice, both in the plural and in the personal: like other young men, Claude has received his draft notice but is ultimately unable to burn it as the rest have done and wonders instead “Where Do I Go.” Christopher Heilman’s scenic design combines poignantly with Gifford Williams’ lighting for an emotional visual drumroll of the names of Vietnam’s American dead.
From then on, the seriousness of the situation—despite the dreamy “trip” sequence—accelerates, and even as one knows what to expect, the second act leaves audiences emotionally drained; the scene in particular of a Buddhist monk (Alexander Tan) set afire in protest is sickeningly real. The show ends musically on a celebratory note, though one is left wondering exactly what one is celebrating. This is where Peregrine’s genius comes in: it is at the end, and not at the beginning, that we’re reminded how far we haven’t come. Our #MeToo consciousness might make us smugly aware of the impossibility of a song like “Donna” being written in 2018, but the final images—that include women in hijab and the plaintive urging to “Wake Up, America”—ensure we don’t forget this is a fight that hasn’t yet been won.
I seriously could call out every single actor on stage: Peregrine is, as always, pitch-perfect. Every actor has a distinct personality even within the ensemble, and when they dance together they seem to draw strength both from each other and from being part of the tribe—Kyle Pleasant’s choreography allows for individuality within a single flowing organism. And they’re all, quite simply, terrific.
I must mention the two female leads, Layman and Rhetta Mykeal, outstanding actors with voices that bring down the house—the audience broke into applause during their final duet within “Eyes, Look Your Last,” emotionally powerful and brilliantly executed. The characters they portray could not be more different (a nod to costumer Seth Bodie along with the actors themselves) and yet are equally strong and interesting. (There’s more mystery to the women characters in Hair, possibly because of misogyny; women’s complaint at the time was, “They’re out fighting the fucking revolution, and we’re making goddamn dinner again?”)
And it’s a sheer pleasure to watch—and listen to—Lagasse and Kelly together. The two have a remarkable onstage chemistry underlined by tight harmonies in their musical numbers (“Hair” is particularly good) and their projection of cohesion. Lagasse handles Claude’s confusion, his unpopular decision, and his acceptance of its consequences with grace and aplomb… and makes one’s heart ache for him.
Pleasant returns as director and choreographer after his breathtaking work at Peregrine last year on Chicagoand is every bit as terrific here. The play pulsates with energy and vigor, and it was fascinating to watch the audience—many of whose members were of the generation to have experienced hippie life first-hand—respond.
“How dare they try to end this beauty?” asks the cast; but it’s Peregrine that has the response: as long as we can tell the story, the beauty won’t be lost. The ensemble’s production of Hair is a testament to the power of theatre and a reminder that idealism could just make a difference again.
Peregrine has a 'HAIR' day in Provincetown
By Sophie Ruehr / Banner Correspondent
Wigged youth sporting flowing tasseled robes, headbands, embroidered bell-bottom jeans and copious amounts of armpit hair have overrun Fishermen Hall. They pace, practice footwork and stretch in the aisles of the theater. Several are doing vocal warm-ups. A nervous energy fills the room as they giggle and chat with one another.
Director and choreographer Kyle Pleasant calls the group to attention and says that he is excited to see their hard work come together in this rehearsal. “Be invested in every moment,” he tells them. “Use the words to change the air in this room.”
Members of the cast glide into their positions. They rest their heads in each other’s laps, their limbs intertwining, still laughing and talking quietly. A low piano and slow, erratic drumbeat are the only signs that the show has begun. But then actor Rhetta Mykeal enters, and the theater blossoms to life with “Age of Aquarius,” the opening number.
It’s the first run-through of the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of “Hair,” a week or so before it opens (on July 10) at Fishermen Hall at the Provincetown Schools. And though “the moon is in the Seventh House” that’s not the only alignment giving this “Age of Aquarius” a mystical feeling. The show marks the 15th anniversary of Peregrine executive director Adam Berry’s first summer in Provincetown, when he starred as Claude in the Provincetown Theater Company’s 2003 production of “Hair.” It’s also the 50th anniversary of the musical “Hair” itself, which opened on Broadway in April of 1968 and ran for more than four years.
Berry and his husband, Ben Berry, founded Peregrine in 2012. “We wanted to do something that would give back to the community,” he says. “To us, an ‘ensemble’ means a group of people who study the craft of theater, know it well and work together seamlessly to create something.” In the future, Berry hopes that the Peregrine can produce shows year-round. “We want theater to be back in the forefront of P’town. It’s the birthplace of American theater,” he says.
“Hair” is the loosely told story of the “Tribe,” a group of hippies living as a collective in Central Park in Manhattan. With lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Galt MacDermot, this seminal rock musical was born out of the antiwar and free love movements of the ’60s. It was controversial when it first premiered — Tom O’Horgan’s Broadway production featured full-frontal nudity by most of the cast and lots of sex, drugs and rock music.
The Peregrine production continues the musical’s radical traditions. Although the stage at Fishermen Hall is small, the Tribe makes use of every inch, lying on the floor, climbing onto chairs and running through the audience. The stage itself becomes an instrument, as members of the Tribe stomp or slap the ground to the beat. The entire hall is alive with energy.
It feels organic to Provincetown — redolent of the ebb and flow of the ocean. Shifts in tone from soft to loud to somber again unfold smoothly in quick progression, a testament to the cast’s hard work and collaboration.
Stage manager Brenna Hull says that the cast has even been communing outside of rehearsal. “The actors are getting into the mindset of the Tribe. It’s all about energy and making sure everyone feels supported and loved,” Hull says. Several members of the ensemble are living together.
Daisy Layman, who plays Sheila, an activist, is entering her senior year at the Boston Conservatory. The Peregrine production is her third time performing in “Hair.” “It’s been so different every time,” Layman says. She adds that Peregrine’s version is more “dance-heavy” than others she’s been in, which have been more “movement-based.” The cast is also closer. “I love how open everyone is,” Layman says. “For a show like this, you have to be.”
The actors spent two intensive weeks in New York learning the music and choreography. “I would be sore after dancing for eight hours at rehearsal,” Layman says. They arrived in Provincetown in late June to begin rehearsals in Fishermen Hall.
Berry says that the company considers “Hair,” like all of its shows, part of a “semi-educational summer program.” The cast, composed of college students and recent graduates, will be taking classes in musical theater throughout the season. One class will be led by musical director Matthew Hougland, who will coach the ensemble on healthy singing practice. Maintaining voices is key to sustaining the production, Berry says, especially because “Hair” will run for two months with four performances each week (Tuesday to Friday).
Layman is undaunted. She thinks that with the variety of events and theme weeks in Provincetown, audiences will each have unique feedback. “It will be a completely different show every time. You find ways to keep it fresh,” she says.
Though the script is the same as it was in 1968, in rehearsal the ensemble channels today’s politics. “We’ve talked about immigration and standing up for something you’re passionate about,” Hull says.
Jeffrey Kelly, who plays Berger in “Hair” and grew up in Barnstable, says he hopes the musical will inspire audiences to advocate for change. “The show was written in 1968, and it’s still relevant now in 2018. It’s a necessary show at this time,” he says.
Berry believes the activist politics in “Hair” will not fall on deaf ears. “P’town is not a town to keep its mouth shut,” he says. “They’re protesting gun laws. They’re going to the women’s march. They’re fighting for what they think is right. We can always learn a lesson from this musical. ‘Hair’ is one of those shows that’s always timely.”
'HAIR' Still Filled With Emotion
by Sue Mellen - Cape Cod Times
PROVINCETOWN – It seems impossible that “Hair” is a half-century old. Wasn’t it just yesterday that hippies in psychedelic prints camped out in city parks, anti-war protests spread across the country and the evening news ended with body counts?
While five decades have passed since the then-controversial show hit Broadway in 1968, the musical still takes audiences on an emotion-filled journey. Songs like “Aquarius,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Easy to Be Hard” and, of course, “Hair” take older theatergoers back to their youth and serve as a history lesson to young people.
The Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s version of the foray back to hippiedom – directed and choreographed by Kyle Pleasant – is filled with athletic, well-choreographed dance numbers and strong, sure voices that do justice to the steady stream of now-familiar musical numbers. From the show opener – “Aquarius” – through the gut-wrenching closing scene, the young troupe uses song and dance to draw the audience into the world of Timothy Leary, flower power and free love. And the players effectively extend the stage, bringing dance numbers out to the theater aisles and engaging with the audience. In one enjoyable moment of comic relief, Margaret Mead (Alexander Tan) makes an appearance and coaxes an audience member onto the stage with her. (Luckily, the theatergoer she chose on opening night was a good sport and joined in the fun.)
At the heart of “Hair” is the story of Claude, a long-haired young man facing a summons from Uncle Sam to chop off his mane and travel to the tropical paradise of Vietnam. He is an Everyman representing the thousands of American men whose numbers came up – too often in more ways than one. He surrounds himself with a tribe – a sort of family of brothers and sisters intent on escaping the confines of conservative America by burning draft cards and tripping out.
Kevin Lagasse is thoroughly engaging as the tribe’s chieftain. Beginning with his delivery of the lyrics, “I believe in God, and I believe that God believes in Claude, that’s me,” he is the ultra-confident and sexy alpha male leading the tribe into Learyland. He is a lithe and athletic dancer, and his strong voice rings true in numbers like “Manchester, England” and “I Got Life.” And his performance in dramatic scenes – especially near the final curtain – is at once subtle and heart-wrenching.
Rhetta Mykeal plays the other uncrowned leader of the tribe, Dionne. She leads numbers like “Aquarius,” “Walking in Space” and “White Boys” with a confident authority.
One especially notable performance was Daisy Layman’s as tribe member Sheila. The Boston Conservatory at Berklee senior has the voice and demeanor of a torch singer as she belts out songs like “Good Morning Starshine” and the touching “Easy to Be Hard.” And Cape Cod native Jeffrey Kelly as Berger and Lexie Tobin as the heavily pregnant Jennie are more than competent in their supporting roles. Actually, the entire ensemble performs production numbers with energy and expertise, engaging the audience with one production number after another.
The set is simple but effective, making the impressive special effects seem that much more striking. In one scene, names of deceased servicemen scroll across the entire curtain, leading into the once-infamous nude scene. But, have no fear; the scene is handled tastefully and inoffensively. And one costume note: This reviewer would have sworn that Tobin (as Jennie) was actually pregnant, thanks to a very lifelike costume. (Costume designer is Seth Bodie.)
In the end, Peregrine’s “Hair” is both entertaining and touching.
CHICAGO
BROADWAY WORLD
by Kristen Morale
PROVINCETOWN- When the unconquerable Billy Flynn and the ensemble sing of that "old razzle dazzle," they sing of corruption and deceit - of wicked things turned into truth when presented in just the right light. Under the pretense of being decent in a world of easy exploitation and unremorseful women, Billy's smile is a falsity he doesn't care to hide - his performance as showy as the lights which illuminate the stage. Transforming the lives of the potentially dead murderesses of Chicago into a form of entertainment for the masses is manipulation at its core - it is just one of the reasons Kander and Ebb's Chicago has remained one of our favorite musicals for so long. Now, we can all be grateful for Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's current production of the longest running American musical in Broadway history, happening right in the heart of Provincetown.
Such a fabulous professional theater needs hardly more than the production's inherent, deep rooted trickery to persuade people to see its rendition of Chicago. It does not need to lead people under false pretenses through the doors of Fisherman Hall in Provincetown to see what the hell this is all about. The one truth to be found amidst all the compelling illusions on that stage is that this is one damn good production - one that seduces audiences with scantily-clad dancers, an enticing score and the ability to just about demand us to be seduced by a performance so intense, it's deadly.
Making its Outer Cape premiere, and in celebration of Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's fifth anniversary season, what better way to come in with a bang (...) than with Chicago. With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Peregrine presents this show-stopping show under the direction and mercilessly gorgeous choreography of Kyle Pleasant and musical direction of Emily Erickson; Adam Berry also serves as Executive Director. Now, anyone who has ever seen a production of Chicago before knows how demanding a show it is. From the constant momentum required to fuel characters' deceit to the perpetual physical motion of choreography and staging to never let the story lose its wonderful vigor, the show is truly unbelievable in its combination of fascinating characters and visual beauty. It requires a cast that is not only talented but makes you wish you were as talented, with the ability to dance and sing and carry this spectacular musical from start to finish without fault.
So...if you haven't seen the show before, please do yourself a favor and make this your first encounter with it. Please.
With each review I write of shows on Cape Cod, I am ceaselessly impressed with the talent to be found here, many performances being comparable to what one may find in New York. With the clear effort put into this show by cast and crew alike, I don't want to say it is "comparable" to the Broadway production currently on Broadway; although incredibly true, to do so would be to undermine the unique quality of Peregrine's production. There are just so many aspects of this production that not only impress but should make life long fans of both the theater company and the show itself; if this doesn't do something to harbor an appreciation of theater, you aren't paying close enough attention.
Watching everyone from Roxie Hart to Velma Kelly, to Billy Flynn and Matron "Mama" Morton and the Greek Chorus of an ensemble who help tell this rather wicked tale, there is this ever-present intensity in the eyes and movements of all those on stage. Each character, whether we know their names or not, just knows both the role they play and how to command the people around them with that knowledge; it's almost intimidating in how well they wear their intentions on their faces, through their movements and how they don't even seem to try. Their gazes, their intent not just consume them in the story being told, but beckon the audience to follow suit. We are compelled to not only watch the dancers make complete stars of themselves on that stage, or observe how characters like Roxie and Velma struggle with their lives apart from the fact that they're in jail (as a form of perpetual entertainment for us), we look at these people and see how they struggle.
For example, the hatred in Velma's eyes at the unbound success of her new prison foe is palpable with just one look...repeated many times with more scorn than the last. The egotistical Flynn presents himself with such confidence that you just want to slap him (in a commendable way), and Roxie Hart supplies just enough monitored naiveté to save her fame seeking-self from being the now second woman to be hanged in forty-seven years. It is a dazzling performance due to these talented human beings whose characters are as colorful and diverse as how black both their souls and lingerie are. Or, to go in a slightly different direction, how flashy as the fascinating Mary Sunshine...I'll leave it to you to see what I mean!
From the choreography, with enough pizazz and swank to razzle anyone's dazzle, to the set which is reminiscent of Cabaret and also a reminder of how we are almost watching a production within a show, complete with its own mocking commentary and stark yet still flashy exterior, this show is spectacular. The effort to make this the Chicago we all love is given that added boost of that something more which makes this production stand out from others, and that is due in large to the people on that stage. These are actors whose biographies you feel compelled to read with a genuine interest to see how they all got to this point.
Katie O'Rourke as Velma Kelly, Maddie Garbaty as Roxie Hart, Ben Berry as Billy Flynn, Vivienne LaBarbera as Mama Morton, M. Hougland as Mary Sunshine, Michael Burke as Amos Hart, the male ensemble made up of Daniel Estrella, Evan Hussey, Adolfo Ortiz-Feder, Dean Andrew Ford, TJ Newton and Alec Reiss, and the female ensemble with Carly Cherone, Mikayla Elliot, Francesca Endres, Mackenzie Koehne, Melody Morrow and Elizabeth Scamardella are, to quote our favorite line, truly "all that jazz."
Kyle Pleasant as Choreographer, Drew Minard as Assistant Choreographer, Ellen Rousseau as Scenic Designer, Gifford Williams as Lighting Designer, Seth Bodie as Costume Designer, Chad Hayduk on Makeup and Wig Design, Howard Vigorita on Sound Production and Design, Bella Tasha as Stage Manager and Molly Rocca as ASM and all others also deserve praise for all they have done for this production. Kudos to you guys!
So, go and give this production your undivided attention and have a blast. It's as wonderful as I've written, with no added flattery required.
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's production of Chicago began performances on July 6th and will continue thru September 2nd. The show takes place at Fisherman Hall, located at 12 Winslow Street in Provincetown. Performances are Wednesday thru Saturday @ 7:30 pm, and tickets may be purchased by visiting www.peregrinetheatre.com or by calling (774). 538. 9084. On-site parking is available, as well as a bar within the theater.
Enjoy the show!
by Kristen Morale
PROVINCETOWN- When the unconquerable Billy Flynn and the ensemble sing of that "old razzle dazzle," they sing of corruption and deceit - of wicked things turned into truth when presented in just the right light. Under the pretense of being decent in a world of easy exploitation and unremorseful women, Billy's smile is a falsity he doesn't care to hide - his performance as showy as the lights which illuminate the stage. Transforming the lives of the potentially dead murderesses of Chicago into a form of entertainment for the masses is manipulation at its core - it is just one of the reasons Kander and Ebb's Chicago has remained one of our favorite musicals for so long. Now, we can all be grateful for Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's current production of the longest running American musical in Broadway history, happening right in the heart of Provincetown.
Such a fabulous professional theater needs hardly more than the production's inherent, deep rooted trickery to persuade people to see its rendition of Chicago. It does not need to lead people under false pretenses through the doors of Fisherman Hall in Provincetown to see what the hell this is all about. The one truth to be found amidst all the compelling illusions on that stage is that this is one damn good production - one that seduces audiences with scantily-clad dancers, an enticing score and the ability to just about demand us to be seduced by a performance so intense, it's deadly.
Making its Outer Cape premiere, and in celebration of Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's fifth anniversary season, what better way to come in with a bang (...) than with Chicago. With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Peregrine presents this show-stopping show under the direction and mercilessly gorgeous choreography of Kyle Pleasant and musical direction of Emily Erickson; Adam Berry also serves as Executive Director. Now, anyone who has ever seen a production of Chicago before knows how demanding a show it is. From the constant momentum required to fuel characters' deceit to the perpetual physical motion of choreography and staging to never let the story lose its wonderful vigor, the show is truly unbelievable in its combination of fascinating characters and visual beauty. It requires a cast that is not only talented but makes you wish you were as talented, with the ability to dance and sing and carry this spectacular musical from start to finish without fault.
So...if you haven't seen the show before, please do yourself a favor and make this your first encounter with it. Please.
With each review I write of shows on Cape Cod, I am ceaselessly impressed with the talent to be found here, many performances being comparable to what one may find in New York. With the clear effort put into this show by cast and crew alike, I don't want to say it is "comparable" to the Broadway production currently on Broadway; although incredibly true, to do so would be to undermine the unique quality of Peregrine's production. There are just so many aspects of this production that not only impress but should make life long fans of both the theater company and the show itself; if this doesn't do something to harbor an appreciation of theater, you aren't paying close enough attention.
Watching everyone from Roxie Hart to Velma Kelly, to Billy Flynn and Matron "Mama" Morton and the Greek Chorus of an ensemble who help tell this rather wicked tale, there is this ever-present intensity in the eyes and movements of all those on stage. Each character, whether we know their names or not, just knows both the role they play and how to command the people around them with that knowledge; it's almost intimidating in how well they wear their intentions on their faces, through their movements and how they don't even seem to try. Their gazes, their intent not just consume them in the story being told, but beckon the audience to follow suit. We are compelled to not only watch the dancers make complete stars of themselves on that stage, or observe how characters like Roxie and Velma struggle with their lives apart from the fact that they're in jail (as a form of perpetual entertainment for us), we look at these people and see how they struggle.
For example, the hatred in Velma's eyes at the unbound success of her new prison foe is palpable with just one look...repeated many times with more scorn than the last. The egotistical Flynn presents himself with such confidence that you just want to slap him (in a commendable way), and Roxie Hart supplies just enough monitored naiveté to save her fame seeking-self from being the now second woman to be hanged in forty-seven years. It is a dazzling performance due to these talented human beings whose characters are as colorful and diverse as how black both their souls and lingerie are. Or, to go in a slightly different direction, how flashy as the fascinating Mary Sunshine...I'll leave it to you to see what I mean!
From the choreography, with enough pizazz and swank to razzle anyone's dazzle, to the set which is reminiscent of Cabaret and also a reminder of how we are almost watching a production within a show, complete with its own mocking commentary and stark yet still flashy exterior, this show is spectacular. The effort to make this the Chicago we all love is given that added boost of that something more which makes this production stand out from others, and that is due in large to the people on that stage. These are actors whose biographies you feel compelled to read with a genuine interest to see how they all got to this point.
Katie O'Rourke as Velma Kelly, Maddie Garbaty as Roxie Hart, Ben Berry as Billy Flynn, Vivienne LaBarbera as Mama Morton, M. Hougland as Mary Sunshine, Michael Burke as Amos Hart, the male ensemble made up of Daniel Estrella, Evan Hussey, Adolfo Ortiz-Feder, Dean Andrew Ford, TJ Newton and Alec Reiss, and the female ensemble with Carly Cherone, Mikayla Elliot, Francesca Endres, Mackenzie Koehne, Melody Morrow and Elizabeth Scamardella are, to quote our favorite line, truly "all that jazz."
Kyle Pleasant as Choreographer, Drew Minard as Assistant Choreographer, Ellen Rousseau as Scenic Designer, Gifford Williams as Lighting Designer, Seth Bodie as Costume Designer, Chad Hayduk on Makeup and Wig Design, Howard Vigorita on Sound Production and Design, Bella Tasha as Stage Manager and Molly Rocca as ASM and all others also deserve praise for all they have done for this production. Kudos to you guys!
So, go and give this production your undivided attention and have a blast. It's as wonderful as I've written, with no added flattery required.
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's production of Chicago began performances on July 6th and will continue thru September 2nd. The show takes place at Fisherman Hall, located at 12 Winslow Street in Provincetown. Performances are Wednesday thru Saturday @ 7:30 pm, and tickets may be purchased by visiting www.peregrinetheatre.com or by calling (774). 538. 9084. On-site parking is available, as well as a bar within the theater.
Enjoy the show!
CHICAGO Timeless and Timely
By Laurie Higgins
PROVINCETOWN – “Chicago” is a timeless gem in the musical theater world, but its satirical themes of truth versus justice and the media frenzy that creates celebrity out of violence have never felt more timely than now. But that’s not the main reason to go see Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s current version now playing in Provincetown. “Chicago”also is two hours of pure entertainment, thanks to the masterful direction and superb choreography of Kyle Pleasant and his outstanding cast.
The production team deserves kudos as well. Ellen Rousseau’s scenic design of two rows of black barred cells with chairs in front of each becomes the perfect framework for the action. Gifford Williams’ marquis-style lighting emphasizes the theme of celebrity, and Seth Bodie’s costume design is sexy and alluring.
Katie O’Rourke has an acting range that allows her to easily evolve from disdain to desperation to resignation in the role of Velma Kelly, the media princess who murdered her husband and sister after she found them in bed while she went out for ice. She also has a big voice that soars in numbers like “I Can’t Do It Alone” and “When Velma Takes the Stand.”
Maddie Garbaty steals the show (and Velma’s thunder and attorney) as Roxie Hart, the newest sexy murderer in the Cook County Jail. She is simply darling with a lovely voice that really shines as she contemplates fame in “Roxie.” O’Rourke and Garbaty also harmonize beautifully in “My Own Best Friend” and “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag.” They are a dynamic duo who play off each other very well.
As their slick attorne,y Billy Flynn, Ben Berry is smooth as satin. He has the charisma and singing chops to embody the role with relish. He especially shines in the beautifully choreographed “All I Care About.” As he croons about love, the women in the ensemble cozy up to him with large feathered fans.
The song-and-dance number “We Both Reached for the Gun” is worth the price of admission alone. Berry acts as ventriloquist to Garbaty’s puppet as the ensemble puts on an exuberant show as the press.
Vivienne LaBarbera brings a raspy tough love to the role of Matron “Mama” Morton and M. Hougland is sublime as gullible journalist Mary Sunshine.” Michael Burke, as Roxy’s sad-sack “dumb mechanic” husband, exhibits both humanity and humor as he sings “Mr. Cellophane.”
The excellence of the ensemble is crucial to the success of the show. The women dance, do minor acrobatics and sing their hearts out. The men tap their feet and slap their legs to create a drumbeat. They carry the women out on their shoulders or in their collective arms with grace.
Daniel Estrella, who is part of the ensemble, stalks the stage like a panther when he takes on the role of Fred Casely, the lover Roxie slays. His re-enactment of the murder is even more powerful than the original crime. He also plays every lover murdered by the six women in “Cell Block Tango” with athletic agility.
Part of the cleverness of the show is that the actors break the fourth wall and directly address the audience. Someone announces what will happen next in a humorous play on words. The actors also directly appeal to the audience to sell their side of the tale.
It has the effect of turning the audience into the jury. It works very well because the characters exhibit such charm that it’s possible to forget their gruesome crimes and wish them the best. “Hello, suckers,” indeed.
Peregrine’s “Chicago” works on every level. It’s extremely entertaining, with excellent singing and impressive choreography. There are surprise moments of both tenderness and humor in a show that also displays a lot of raw talent and energy. Well done!
By Laurie Higgins
PROVINCETOWN – “Chicago” is a timeless gem in the musical theater world, but its satirical themes of truth versus justice and the media frenzy that creates celebrity out of violence have never felt more timely than now. But that’s not the main reason to go see Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s current version now playing in Provincetown. “Chicago”also is two hours of pure entertainment, thanks to the masterful direction and superb choreography of Kyle Pleasant and his outstanding cast.
The production team deserves kudos as well. Ellen Rousseau’s scenic design of two rows of black barred cells with chairs in front of each becomes the perfect framework for the action. Gifford Williams’ marquis-style lighting emphasizes the theme of celebrity, and Seth Bodie’s costume design is sexy and alluring.
Katie O’Rourke has an acting range that allows her to easily evolve from disdain to desperation to resignation in the role of Velma Kelly, the media princess who murdered her husband and sister after she found them in bed while she went out for ice. She also has a big voice that soars in numbers like “I Can’t Do It Alone” and “When Velma Takes the Stand.”
Maddie Garbaty steals the show (and Velma’s thunder and attorney) as Roxie Hart, the newest sexy murderer in the Cook County Jail. She is simply darling with a lovely voice that really shines as she contemplates fame in “Roxie.” O’Rourke and Garbaty also harmonize beautifully in “My Own Best Friend” and “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag.” They are a dynamic duo who play off each other very well.
As their slick attorne,y Billy Flynn, Ben Berry is smooth as satin. He has the charisma and singing chops to embody the role with relish. He especially shines in the beautifully choreographed “All I Care About.” As he croons about love, the women in the ensemble cozy up to him with large feathered fans.
The song-and-dance number “We Both Reached for the Gun” is worth the price of admission alone. Berry acts as ventriloquist to Garbaty’s puppet as the ensemble puts on an exuberant show as the press.
Vivienne LaBarbera brings a raspy tough love to the role of Matron “Mama” Morton and M. Hougland is sublime as gullible journalist Mary Sunshine.” Michael Burke, as Roxy’s sad-sack “dumb mechanic” husband, exhibits both humanity and humor as he sings “Mr. Cellophane.”
The excellence of the ensemble is crucial to the success of the show. The women dance, do minor acrobatics and sing their hearts out. The men tap their feet and slap their legs to create a drumbeat. They carry the women out on their shoulders or in their collective arms with grace.
Daniel Estrella, who is part of the ensemble, stalks the stage like a panther when he takes on the role of Fred Casely, the lover Roxie slays. His re-enactment of the murder is even more powerful than the original crime. He also plays every lover murdered by the six women in “Cell Block Tango” with athletic agility.
Part of the cleverness of the show is that the actors break the fourth wall and directly address the audience. Someone announces what will happen next in a humorous play on words. The actors also directly appeal to the audience to sell their side of the tale.
It has the effect of turning the audience into the jury. It works very well because the characters exhibit such charm that it’s possible to forget their gruesome crimes and wish them the best. “Hello, suckers,” indeed.
Peregrine’s “Chicago” works on every level. It’s extremely entertaining, with excellent singing and impressive choreography. There are surprise moments of both tenderness and humor in a show that also displays a lot of raw talent and energy. Well done!
Provincetown Magazine
by Jeannette de Beauvoir
It’s unusual to see a show performed locally while it’s still doing its (second) Broadway run, but that’s what the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has managed to do with Chicago, to the absolute delight of Provincetown theater-goers. This is a musical that requires heavy lifting on the part of everyone involved—from cast and choreographer to set designers and musicians—and Peregrine has pulled it off absolutely flawlessly.
It’s Prohibition time in Chicago and corruption is everywhere, not least of all in the hearts—and crimes—of a number of women incarcerated for murder. The most famous girl on the cellblock, Velma Kelly (Katie O’Rourke), opens the show with the iconic and brilliantly staged All That Jazz, after which we meet the prison’s most famous girl-to-be, Roxie Hart (Maddie Garbady), who has shot her lover for leaving her and hasn’t quite managed to convince her husband that this is a Good Thing.
That play—between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable—is a thread that runs throughout the musical as it juggles issues of self-preservation, justice, perception, and even manners; and it’s what lifts the production above the corruption it illustrates. Why not kill someone who’s in the way? “Some guys,” complains one of the ensemble during the gorgeous Cellblock Tango, “just can’t hold their arsenic.”
Enter defense lawyer Billy Flynn (Ben Berry), whose spats, pencil-thin moustache and wisecracks situate us in the 1920s in a single glance, and whose services and loyalty can be bought for a price—$5,000, to be exact. Velma is soon supplanted in his priorities as he sees the publicity potential of representing Roxie, gathering a cynical press, a fawning agony aunt, and even the prison matron around his theatrical stunts.
Razzle-Dazzle isn’t just the name of one of the songs: it’s a description of the story, where glitz and glamour barely hide deceit and greed. But—here’s the thing—we like Roxie. We know who she is, and what she is, and we still root for her. Garbady is breathtaking in the role, smart and sassy and oddly vulnerable. “I’m older,” she says in wonder, “than I ever intended to be.”
The set’s art deco framing is only one small part of its genius. Keeping the cell doors at a slight angle makes them more mysterious and more natural than in other staging, and the lighting both sets and enhances audience reactions to the action; but all of it—set design, lighting, costuming—works seamlessly and flawlessly together. This, one feels, is how Chicago should look and feel. This is the ultimate Chicago.
And it’s funny. In a time when issues of corruption, ethics, and cruelty play out in our national consciousness, we may have forgotten how to laugh at the absurdity of our search for meaning in tweets and boasts and alternative facts. The timing of the quips (especially by Ben Berry, who can’t put a foot wrong) makes one laugh first and gasp in somewhat embarrassed horror afterward, and that’s the true genius of Chicago: the ability to discover humanity beneath the desperation of reality.
by Jeannette de Beauvoir
It’s unusual to see a show performed locally while it’s still doing its (second) Broadway run, but that’s what the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has managed to do with Chicago, to the absolute delight of Provincetown theater-goers. This is a musical that requires heavy lifting on the part of everyone involved—from cast and choreographer to set designers and musicians—and Peregrine has pulled it off absolutely flawlessly.
It’s Prohibition time in Chicago and corruption is everywhere, not least of all in the hearts—and crimes—of a number of women incarcerated for murder. The most famous girl on the cellblock, Velma Kelly (Katie O’Rourke), opens the show with the iconic and brilliantly staged All That Jazz, after which we meet the prison’s most famous girl-to-be, Roxie Hart (Maddie Garbady), who has shot her lover for leaving her and hasn’t quite managed to convince her husband that this is a Good Thing.
That play—between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable—is a thread that runs throughout the musical as it juggles issues of self-preservation, justice, perception, and even manners; and it’s what lifts the production above the corruption it illustrates. Why not kill someone who’s in the way? “Some guys,” complains one of the ensemble during the gorgeous Cellblock Tango, “just can’t hold their arsenic.”
Enter defense lawyer Billy Flynn (Ben Berry), whose spats, pencil-thin moustache and wisecracks situate us in the 1920s in a single glance, and whose services and loyalty can be bought for a price—$5,000, to be exact. Velma is soon supplanted in his priorities as he sees the publicity potential of representing Roxie, gathering a cynical press, a fawning agony aunt, and even the prison matron around his theatrical stunts.
Razzle-Dazzle isn’t just the name of one of the songs: it’s a description of the story, where glitz and glamour barely hide deceit and greed. But—here’s the thing—we like Roxie. We know who she is, and what she is, and we still root for her. Garbady is breathtaking in the role, smart and sassy and oddly vulnerable. “I’m older,” she says in wonder, “than I ever intended to be.”
The set’s art deco framing is only one small part of its genius. Keeping the cell doors at a slight angle makes them more mysterious and more natural than in other staging, and the lighting both sets and enhances audience reactions to the action; but all of it—set design, lighting, costuming—works seamlessly and flawlessly together. This, one feels, is how Chicago should look and feel. This is the ultimate Chicago.
And it’s funny. In a time when issues of corruption, ethics, and cruelty play out in our national consciousness, we may have forgotten how to laugh at the absurdity of our search for meaning in tweets and boasts and alternative facts. The timing of the quips (especially by Ben Berry, who can’t put a foot wrong) makes one laugh first and gasp in somewhat embarrassed horror afterward, and that’s the true genius of Chicago: the ability to discover humanity beneath the desperation of reality.
WOMR
Peregrine Does Chicago…… and makes it look easy. Chicago is an ambitious production and the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, presenting the musical as part of its fifth-year anniversary summer, absolutely owns it.
Everyone knows the history: Chicago is Broadway’s longest-running musical, the winner of six Tony awards, two Olivier awards, and a Grammy. And Adam Berry, executive director of the Peregine Theatre Ensemble, has always wanted to work on it with director and choreographer Kyle Pleasant. When Peregrine finally obtained the rights, Berry sent Pleasant an email with a simple subject line: “And All That Jazz.” Pleasant understood right away.
What he then did with Chicago is, quite simply, awesome. This is the best of everything: directing, acting, dancing, set design, costumes, lighting—there just isn’t anything in this production that isn’t absolutely spot-on right.
So: the story. Chicago in the roaring twenties wasn’t a town for the faint of heart, and was even less so after experiencing a spate of real-life murders committed by women against various male partners. On death row in a women’s facility, the famous Velma Kelly (played by Katie O’Rourke) is awaiting trial, represented by smarmy lawyer Billy Flynn (Ben Berry). Velma opens the musical with All That Jazz, but it’s really the third piece, the Cell Block Tango, that shows the audience what this cast can do. It’s gorgeous choreography, but that’s not all. It’s pitch-perfect singing, it’s fantastic dancing. It’s got pathos, and humor (“he ran into my knife. He ran into it 10 times”), and more than a little sexiness.
And then Roxie Hart (Maddie Garbaty) kills her lover and joins the death row club, and in the process overshadows Velma in both notoriety and access to Billy. O’Rourke is a fantastic dancer—she has to be, with Velma’s moves—and it’s easy to see the desperation she feels when she perceives both fame and freedom slipping away from her. But it’s easy to see, also, how Roxie eclipses Velma, because Garbaty absolutely steals the show: she’s cute, she’s innocent, she’s evil, she’s scheming, she’s humorous… Garbaty expresses all of Roxie’s sides, her little-girlishness, her cold calculation, her will to survive, and somehow in the process makes Roxie a real person. We want her to be okay even as we despise parts of her persona.
Maybe a little like our own selves.
Chicago raises issues for a 2017 audience that Fosse & Co. would probably have never imagined. In an arguably post-truth era, its take on the judicial process underlines the adage that there’s nothing new under the sun. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the prologue begins, “you are about to witness a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery. All the things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”
Peregrine’s take on all those “near and dear” things underscores both that the story is happening in anothertime (Berry’s Billy actually sounds like a voice off a 75-rpm record) and that it’s simultaneously all-too-real for a Trump-era audience. The constant presence of the media—and how that media is manipulated—is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and Chicago demonstrates its power, from courting media stars to dictating the course of justice.
You leave not just with the enjoyment of a brilliant show, but with nagging questions that keep you thinking long after the curtain has gone down. Is this justice? How can a corrupt system be changed? What role does communication play? What constitutes fairness?
The answers aren’t here: only the questions. But what a way to think about them! From Ellen Rousseau’s lush art-deco scenic design (no, that’s actually not a contradiction in terms) to Seth Bodie’s sexy and vulnerable costumes, the play exudes visual candy. Pleasant’s timing in both direction and choreography couldn’t be better, as the audience enjoys, appreciates, even laughs… and then immediately after wonders why.
I went to see Chicago with a friend, herself an actor, who was transfixed. We took advantage of the special pre-show dinner offered by The Pointe restaurant at Crowne Pointe Inn, practically next door to the theater: a three-course prix-fixe meal for $35 (at most places in town, that price describes the entrée), which was absolutely delicious and made for an elegant and memorable dinner-and-theatre experience.
Back on stage, “It’s all a circus,” says Berry in summary, “a three-ring circus. This trial…the whole world…it’s all show business.” Then he adds, “But, kid… you’re working with a star.”
For the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, this whole show is a star. Make sure that you get to see it.
Peregrine Does Chicago…… and makes it look easy. Chicago is an ambitious production and the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, presenting the musical as part of its fifth-year anniversary summer, absolutely owns it.
Everyone knows the history: Chicago is Broadway’s longest-running musical, the winner of six Tony awards, two Olivier awards, and a Grammy. And Adam Berry, executive director of the Peregine Theatre Ensemble, has always wanted to work on it with director and choreographer Kyle Pleasant. When Peregrine finally obtained the rights, Berry sent Pleasant an email with a simple subject line: “And All That Jazz.” Pleasant understood right away.
What he then did with Chicago is, quite simply, awesome. This is the best of everything: directing, acting, dancing, set design, costumes, lighting—there just isn’t anything in this production that isn’t absolutely spot-on right.
So: the story. Chicago in the roaring twenties wasn’t a town for the faint of heart, and was even less so after experiencing a spate of real-life murders committed by women against various male partners. On death row in a women’s facility, the famous Velma Kelly (played by Katie O’Rourke) is awaiting trial, represented by smarmy lawyer Billy Flynn (Ben Berry). Velma opens the musical with All That Jazz, but it’s really the third piece, the Cell Block Tango, that shows the audience what this cast can do. It’s gorgeous choreography, but that’s not all. It’s pitch-perfect singing, it’s fantastic dancing. It’s got pathos, and humor (“he ran into my knife. He ran into it 10 times”), and more than a little sexiness.
And then Roxie Hart (Maddie Garbaty) kills her lover and joins the death row club, and in the process overshadows Velma in both notoriety and access to Billy. O’Rourke is a fantastic dancer—she has to be, with Velma’s moves—and it’s easy to see the desperation she feels when she perceives both fame and freedom slipping away from her. But it’s easy to see, also, how Roxie eclipses Velma, because Garbaty absolutely steals the show: she’s cute, she’s innocent, she’s evil, she’s scheming, she’s humorous… Garbaty expresses all of Roxie’s sides, her little-girlishness, her cold calculation, her will to survive, and somehow in the process makes Roxie a real person. We want her to be okay even as we despise parts of her persona.
Maybe a little like our own selves.
Chicago raises issues for a 2017 audience that Fosse & Co. would probably have never imagined. In an arguably post-truth era, its take on the judicial process underlines the adage that there’s nothing new under the sun. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the prologue begins, “you are about to witness a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery. All the things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”
Peregrine’s take on all those “near and dear” things underscores both that the story is happening in anothertime (Berry’s Billy actually sounds like a voice off a 75-rpm record) and that it’s simultaneously all-too-real for a Trump-era audience. The constant presence of the media—and how that media is manipulated—is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and Chicago demonstrates its power, from courting media stars to dictating the course of justice.
You leave not just with the enjoyment of a brilliant show, but with nagging questions that keep you thinking long after the curtain has gone down. Is this justice? How can a corrupt system be changed? What role does communication play? What constitutes fairness?
The answers aren’t here: only the questions. But what a way to think about them! From Ellen Rousseau’s lush art-deco scenic design (no, that’s actually not a contradiction in terms) to Seth Bodie’s sexy and vulnerable costumes, the play exudes visual candy. Pleasant’s timing in both direction and choreography couldn’t be better, as the audience enjoys, appreciates, even laughs… and then immediately after wonders why.
I went to see Chicago with a friend, herself an actor, who was transfixed. We took advantage of the special pre-show dinner offered by The Pointe restaurant at Crowne Pointe Inn, practically next door to the theater: a three-course prix-fixe meal for $35 (at most places in town, that price describes the entrée), which was absolutely delicious and made for an elegant and memorable dinner-and-theatre experience.
Back on stage, “It’s all a circus,” says Berry in summary, “a three-ring circus. This trial…the whole world…it’s all show business.” Then he adds, “But, kid… you’re working with a star.”
For the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, this whole show is a star. Make sure that you get to see it.
Buyer & Cellar
CAPE COD TIMES
by Kathi Driscoll
PROVINCETOWN – Nic Cory’s Alex More spends much of the first scene of “Buyer & Cellar” assuring us that this play is a work of fiction. He’s not real, this situation never happened. Sure, some characters we are about to see are real people, but his story is what might have been.
Funny thing is, the one real thing in Jonathan Tolins’ 2013 play is probably the most hard to believe: Barbra Streisand built a private shopping mall in her basement. According to Streisand’s 2010 coffee-table book, “My Passion for Design” – which Cory shares pages from in that first scene – the star of stage, screen and music organized many of her many, many possessions in small, old-fashioned “shops” set up underground on her vast Malibu property.
For this one-man play that became an off-Broadway hit (with Michael Urie), Tolins took that crazy-to-the-rest-of-us fact and turned it into a funny and at times unexpectedly moving, thought-provoking, 95-minute “What if?” comedy about an out-of-work actor hired to staff that mall. Peppered with hundreds of Babs and pop-culture references, Alex tells us what it was like to be in charge of all that stuff, and to meet and get to know the one lonely shopper interested in it all.
The role of Alex seems the very definition of tour de force, and in Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s regional premiere of this show, New York actor Cory rises beautifully and impressively to the challenge. As Alex, he’s chatty and engaging, able to poke fun at himself and this odd job situation – but also appealingly wide-eyed at this unusual chance to get to know (or so he thinks) one of the most famous, admired, private and potentially lonely stars on the planet.
Ellen Rousseau’s set is one-room, with only a few key pieces of furniture, but moving the furniture around and the use of projections and sound effects are enough to shift the action between multiple locations. With no change from a costume of pants, T-shirt and cardigan, Cory plays Streisand, too, with the voice, inflections and gestures right enough to make her distinct and recognizable, and the two-way conversations between Alex and Streisand believable.
Cory also cleverly and energetically morphs into Streisand’s house manager, Sharon; Streisand’s real husband, actor James Brolin; and Alex’s boyfriend, Barry. At Monday night’s opening, Cory’s least-successful moments came in trying to create separate-enough characters during early arguments between Barry and Alex, but his body language and tone for each soon became clear enough that the later scenes worked better.
The storytelling is brisk, the gossip fast, the Streisand details many. While Cory’s performance and main tale are entertaining on their own for the less-initiated, “Buyer and Cellar” is insider enough that audience members will find it far funnier if they can pick up on the dozens of names dropped; the many references to Streisand songs, movies and lovers; the links to Streisand’s standing in the gay and Jewish communities; and even the fast-moving nods to Los Angeles, Disneyland and TV characters from recent decades. If you recognize such details as why Streisand first gives her name as “Sadie”; would know how a uniform could remind you of “Mr. Hooper,” “Mr. Whipple” and “The Music Man”; and nod knowledgeably at mentions of Cloris Leachman, David Geffen and Herbie from “Gypsy,” you score another high level of enjoyment.
Streisand herself, though, does not come off well. While Tolins and Cory make her a sometimes sympathetic character, the warts of Streisand’s perceived ego, perfectionism and need for control – hey, that book about decorating her estate and that mall actually exist – are a main source of the jokes here. The dichotomy between public and private personas is part of the point – we may judge the ultra-famous, but what do we really, really know about them? Certainly not as much as we think we do. And while the Streisand in “Buyer & Cellar” is no more real than what the tabloids trumpet, Tolins and Cory certainly add a fun chapter to the celebrity speculation.
by Kathi Driscoll
PROVINCETOWN – Nic Cory’s Alex More spends much of the first scene of “Buyer & Cellar” assuring us that this play is a work of fiction. He’s not real, this situation never happened. Sure, some characters we are about to see are real people, but his story is what might have been.
Funny thing is, the one real thing in Jonathan Tolins’ 2013 play is probably the most hard to believe: Barbra Streisand built a private shopping mall in her basement. According to Streisand’s 2010 coffee-table book, “My Passion for Design” – which Cory shares pages from in that first scene – the star of stage, screen and music organized many of her many, many possessions in small, old-fashioned “shops” set up underground on her vast Malibu property.
For this one-man play that became an off-Broadway hit (with Michael Urie), Tolins took that crazy-to-the-rest-of-us fact and turned it into a funny and at times unexpectedly moving, thought-provoking, 95-minute “What if?” comedy about an out-of-work actor hired to staff that mall. Peppered with hundreds of Babs and pop-culture references, Alex tells us what it was like to be in charge of all that stuff, and to meet and get to know the one lonely shopper interested in it all.
The role of Alex seems the very definition of tour de force, and in Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s regional premiere of this show, New York actor Cory rises beautifully and impressively to the challenge. As Alex, he’s chatty and engaging, able to poke fun at himself and this odd job situation – but also appealingly wide-eyed at this unusual chance to get to know (or so he thinks) one of the most famous, admired, private and potentially lonely stars on the planet.
Ellen Rousseau’s set is one-room, with only a few key pieces of furniture, but moving the furniture around and the use of projections and sound effects are enough to shift the action between multiple locations. With no change from a costume of pants, T-shirt and cardigan, Cory plays Streisand, too, with the voice, inflections and gestures right enough to make her distinct and recognizable, and the two-way conversations between Alex and Streisand believable.
Cory also cleverly and energetically morphs into Streisand’s house manager, Sharon; Streisand’s real husband, actor James Brolin; and Alex’s boyfriend, Barry. At Monday night’s opening, Cory’s least-successful moments came in trying to create separate-enough characters during early arguments between Barry and Alex, but his body language and tone for each soon became clear enough that the later scenes worked better.
The storytelling is brisk, the gossip fast, the Streisand details many. While Cory’s performance and main tale are entertaining on their own for the less-initiated, “Buyer and Cellar” is insider enough that audience members will find it far funnier if they can pick up on the dozens of names dropped; the many references to Streisand songs, movies and lovers; the links to Streisand’s standing in the gay and Jewish communities; and even the fast-moving nods to Los Angeles, Disneyland and TV characters from recent decades. If you recognize such details as why Streisand first gives her name as “Sadie”; would know how a uniform could remind you of “Mr. Hooper,” “Mr. Whipple” and “The Music Man”; and nod knowledgeably at mentions of Cloris Leachman, David Geffen and Herbie from “Gypsy,” you score another high level of enjoyment.
Streisand herself, though, does not come off well. While Tolins and Cory make her a sometimes sympathetic character, the warts of Streisand’s perceived ego, perfectionism and need for control – hey, that book about decorating her estate and that mall actually exist – are a main source of the jokes here. The dichotomy between public and private personas is part of the point – we may judge the ultra-famous, but what do we really, really know about them? Certainly not as much as we think we do. And while the Streisand in “Buyer & Cellar” is no more real than what the tabloids trumpet, Tolins and Cory certainly add a fun chapter to the celebrity speculation.
Provincetown Magazine
by Steve Desroches
The story told in Jonathan Tolins’ hilarious comedy Buyer & Cellar is fiction. The audience knows that, as it’s stated in the opening few lines of the play. What is true is that Barbra Streisand has a replica of an old time shopping mall in the basement of her Malibu home. We know that because she wrote about it in her 2010 book My Passion for Design, complete with crystal clear photographs of this monument to her financial might and pursuit of perfection. Seriously. There’s a doll shop, a costume store, and a real candy shop with a working ice cream machine. It’s a stranger than fiction story that inspired the truly masterful comedy Buyer & Cellar, which the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has presented with equal accomplishment in this not-to-be-missed production at the Provincetown Theater.
Nic Cory portrays Alex More, an out-of-work, struggling actor in Los Angeles who takes a much-needed job working in the faux mall in Streisand’s New England inspired home. In this tale, Streisand likes to view the various collections she stores in this Disneyesque manner and wants it to be as authentic as possible, including a shopkeeper. The writing of this play is magnificent and is presented with Alex telling us all about his experiences in a compelling fashion. Cory, who has the Herculean task of carrying this one-actor show, while also portraying the spirit of a variety of other characters Alex faces while working for Streisand, succeeds marvelously. From beginning to end Cory never falters in maintaining the heart and hilarity of the play. In short, he’s riveting to watch as he keeps the pacing exactly where it should be throughout. His comedic timing is perfect, and when it calls for it, his sentiment is genuine as he plays the young, yet-to-be jaded gay assistant.
Buyer & Cellar is about so many things—self-worth, fame, sincerity, optimism, gay culture—all presented with a few playful jabs at Los Angeles and its dominant industry. But above all else, it’s about believing in yourself and staking a claim on your own spot in the universe. As Alex, Cory presents a character confronted by not just the most mega of megastars, but also a multitude of others, all with something different to say. Who he listens to could very much change the trajectory of his life. For all intents and purposes the spirit of the characters he relays could be stand-ins for the voices in our own heads that can either fill us with confidence or cripple us with doubt. This production of Buyer & Cellar is both fun and substantive. As summer draws to a close make sure your season doesn’t end without seeing this performance.
by Steve Desroches
The story told in Jonathan Tolins’ hilarious comedy Buyer & Cellar is fiction. The audience knows that, as it’s stated in the opening few lines of the play. What is true is that Barbra Streisand has a replica of an old time shopping mall in the basement of her Malibu home. We know that because she wrote about it in her 2010 book My Passion for Design, complete with crystal clear photographs of this monument to her financial might and pursuit of perfection. Seriously. There’s a doll shop, a costume store, and a real candy shop with a working ice cream machine. It’s a stranger than fiction story that inspired the truly masterful comedy Buyer & Cellar, which the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has presented with equal accomplishment in this not-to-be-missed production at the Provincetown Theater.
Nic Cory portrays Alex More, an out-of-work, struggling actor in Los Angeles who takes a much-needed job working in the faux mall in Streisand’s New England inspired home. In this tale, Streisand likes to view the various collections she stores in this Disneyesque manner and wants it to be as authentic as possible, including a shopkeeper. The writing of this play is magnificent and is presented with Alex telling us all about his experiences in a compelling fashion. Cory, who has the Herculean task of carrying this one-actor show, while also portraying the spirit of a variety of other characters Alex faces while working for Streisand, succeeds marvelously. From beginning to end Cory never falters in maintaining the heart and hilarity of the play. In short, he’s riveting to watch as he keeps the pacing exactly where it should be throughout. His comedic timing is perfect, and when it calls for it, his sentiment is genuine as he plays the young, yet-to-be jaded gay assistant.
Buyer & Cellar is about so many things—self-worth, fame, sincerity, optimism, gay culture—all presented with a few playful jabs at Los Angeles and its dominant industry. But above all else, it’s about believing in yourself and staking a claim on your own spot in the universe. As Alex, Cory presents a character confronted by not just the most mega of megastars, but also a multitude of others, all with something different to say. Who he listens to could very much change the trajectory of his life. For all intents and purposes the spirit of the characters he relays could be stand-ins for the voices in our own heads that can either fill us with confidence or cripple us with doubt. This production of Buyer & Cellar is both fun and substantive. As summer draws to a close make sure your season doesn’t end without seeing this performance.
THE FULL MONTY
THE HUFFINGTON POST
The Full Monty Comes To Provincetown, And It’s About Time
by Michael Levin
If you haven’t seen The Full Monty in Provincetown, Massachusetts, then you really haven’t seen The Full Monty.
The four-year-old Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, based in Provincetown, has mounted, no pun intended, the stage version of the beloved movie, and offers a highly enjoyable, lighthearted production that’s sure to please.
The musical, with book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by David Yezbek, ran for 770 performances on Broadway and garnered no less than ten Tony nominations.
The Full Monty in Provincetown is part of the Peregrine Theatre’s exploration of celebrity; if anything, the play shows that anyone can have his or her fifteen minutes of fame if that person is willing to work hard enough (and take off all his clothes).
If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading this review and go download it. It’s an absolute delight, depicting six men — five workers and one manager — laid off from a factory in Sheffield, England, unable to get another job, and who make their money and reclaim their manhood by stripping for a night.
The Full Monty is a euphemism for full-frontal male nudity, which is achieved in the Provincetown version by — spoiler alert — you better look fast if you want to see anything.
Beau Jackett does a terrific job as Jerry Wachowski, an unemployed factory worker in Buffalo, to which the stage version has been transplanted. He sings, he dances, he takes off his clothes.
Terrence Brady is completely convincing as his best friend, Dave Bukatinsky, who would rather make love to a chocolate bar than his gorgeous wife, played delightfully by Jacqueline Smook.
Musical director Sue Keller gets the most out of her singers. “Big Black Man” and “Michael Jordan Ball” rock the house.
The point of the movie, and the play, is that a man who doesn’t work isn’t a man. And reclaiming one’s manhood becomes the obsession of these men, unemployed against their will.
Their wives and girlfriends attend a Chippendale’s type strip show, which gives Jerry the idea of stripping and making enough money to pay child support so that he can maintain his relationship with his young son, touchingly played by Quinn Schuyler.
Special mention goes to Reggie Whitehead, who in the role of Noah “Horse” Simmons, all but steals the show with his arthritic gyrations and powerhouse singing.
Special mention also goes to the Fiore Joseph Barbini, for his portrayal of the stripper-with-a-heart-and-thong-of gold, Keno.
If you want to see more, you’ll have to go see it for yourself. On August 18th, the cast puts its clothes on for good, so you’ve got until then if you want to see these six fellows bare all.
Follow Michael Levin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@Business_Ghost
The Full Monty Comes To Provincetown, And It’s About Time
by Michael Levin
If you haven’t seen The Full Monty in Provincetown, Massachusetts, then you really haven’t seen The Full Monty.
The four-year-old Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, based in Provincetown, has mounted, no pun intended, the stage version of the beloved movie, and offers a highly enjoyable, lighthearted production that’s sure to please.
The musical, with book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by David Yezbek, ran for 770 performances on Broadway and garnered no less than ten Tony nominations.
The Full Monty in Provincetown is part of the Peregrine Theatre’s exploration of celebrity; if anything, the play shows that anyone can have his or her fifteen minutes of fame if that person is willing to work hard enough (and take off all his clothes).
If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading this review and go download it. It’s an absolute delight, depicting six men — five workers and one manager — laid off from a factory in Sheffield, England, unable to get another job, and who make their money and reclaim their manhood by stripping for a night.
The Full Monty is a euphemism for full-frontal male nudity, which is achieved in the Provincetown version by — spoiler alert — you better look fast if you want to see anything.
Beau Jackett does a terrific job as Jerry Wachowski, an unemployed factory worker in Buffalo, to which the stage version has been transplanted. He sings, he dances, he takes off his clothes.
Terrence Brady is completely convincing as his best friend, Dave Bukatinsky, who would rather make love to a chocolate bar than his gorgeous wife, played delightfully by Jacqueline Smook.
Musical director Sue Keller gets the most out of her singers. “Big Black Man” and “Michael Jordan Ball” rock the house.
The point of the movie, and the play, is that a man who doesn’t work isn’t a man. And reclaiming one’s manhood becomes the obsession of these men, unemployed against their will.
Their wives and girlfriends attend a Chippendale’s type strip show, which gives Jerry the idea of stripping and making enough money to pay child support so that he can maintain his relationship with his young son, touchingly played by Quinn Schuyler.
Special mention goes to Reggie Whitehead, who in the role of Noah “Horse” Simmons, all but steals the show with his arthritic gyrations and powerhouse singing.
Special mention also goes to the Fiore Joseph Barbini, for his portrayal of the stripper-with-a-heart-and-thong-of gold, Keno.
If you want to see more, you’ll have to go see it for yourself. On August 18th, the cast puts its clothes on for good, so you’ve got until then if you want to see these six fellows bare all.
Follow Michael Levin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@Business_Ghost
REVIEW: The Full Monty
by Rebecca M. Alvin
PROVINCETOWN MAGAZINE
When the film The Full Monty came out in 1997, it was a surprise hit not only in its native England, but also all over the world. It seems the story of six unemployed male mill workers who decide to form an all-male strip show revue struck a chord with all walks of life, spurring two theatrical versions, one a British play, and the other an American musical. It’s the latter version that the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has chosen for their summer musical this year. And while the script itself may not be as clever as the original screenplay, it is a funny, entertaining musical, with some wonderful performances.
The musical is, fittingly set in Buffalo with out-of-work Jerry Lukowski (Beau Jackett) hatching the scheme to strip after meeting a visiting Chippendales dancer (Fiore Barbini). He is motivated by the need to come up with adequate child support in order to keep seeing his son Nathan (Quinn Schuyler) whom he adores. He in turn motivates his former coworkers to join the revue by tapping into each one’s need to affirm his masculinity, in the various ways that term can be defined.
Peregrine’s production is quite the undertaking, with 16 cast members, each giving a solid performance. It is truly an ensemble piece. That being said, there are a few standout performances. Jackett turns in a good performance as the likable ne’er-do-well Jerry, but really stuns with his singing, especially in “Breeze off the River.” Always a delight to watch, Ben Berry plays Malcolm, a suicidal mama’s boy/closet case who comes into his own when he joins the guys for the revue (which is called “Hot Metal,” by the way, as they are all former steel workers). And the show stopping performance by Reggie Whitehead as Horse, the only African-American member of the revue, is just marvelous. He makes a big splash in his first scene with the number “Big Black Man” and adds another dynamic to the ensemble all the way through the show.
This is a warm, funny show about men who are coping with what it means to be a man, what is expected of them, and what they’re willing to do for those they love and for themselves. The music is uplifting and lively. The characters and their struggles are moving. And the enormous cast and pit band all turn in great performances as singers, dancers, and actors. And yes, they do give you “the full monty!”
by Rebecca M. Alvin
PROVINCETOWN MAGAZINE
When the film The Full Monty came out in 1997, it was a surprise hit not only in its native England, but also all over the world. It seems the story of six unemployed male mill workers who decide to form an all-male strip show revue struck a chord with all walks of life, spurring two theatrical versions, one a British play, and the other an American musical. It’s the latter version that the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has chosen for their summer musical this year. And while the script itself may not be as clever as the original screenplay, it is a funny, entertaining musical, with some wonderful performances.
The musical is, fittingly set in Buffalo with out-of-work Jerry Lukowski (Beau Jackett) hatching the scheme to strip after meeting a visiting Chippendales dancer (Fiore Barbini). He is motivated by the need to come up with adequate child support in order to keep seeing his son Nathan (Quinn Schuyler) whom he adores. He in turn motivates his former coworkers to join the revue by tapping into each one’s need to affirm his masculinity, in the various ways that term can be defined.
Peregrine’s production is quite the undertaking, with 16 cast members, each giving a solid performance. It is truly an ensemble piece. That being said, there are a few standout performances. Jackett turns in a good performance as the likable ne’er-do-well Jerry, but really stuns with his singing, especially in “Breeze off the River.” Always a delight to watch, Ben Berry plays Malcolm, a suicidal mama’s boy/closet case who comes into his own when he joins the guys for the revue (which is called “Hot Metal,” by the way, as they are all former steel workers). And the show stopping performance by Reggie Whitehead as Horse, the only African-American member of the revue, is just marvelous. He makes a big splash in his first scene with the number “Big Black Man” and adds another dynamic to the ensemble all the way through the show.
This is a warm, funny show about men who are coping with what it means to be a man, what is expected of them, and what they’re willing to do for those they love and for themselves. The music is uplifting and lively. The characters and their struggles are moving. And the enormous cast and pit band all turn in great performances as singers, dancers, and actors. And yes, they do give you “the full monty!”
Lovable losers triumph in Peregrine's 'Monty'
By Kay Keogh
CAPE COD TIMES
Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 4:29 PM
Updated Jul 19, 2016 at 5:05 PM
PROVINCETOWN – What makes a “real man”? In “The Full Monty,” a musical that’s engaging enough to make you forget the ultimate question of “Will they bare it all?” the naked truth is that it’s not brains or brawn but heart that defines a man’s true character.
Sometimes, though, learning how to move in a thong or your birthday suit doesn’t hurt.
The surprisingly sweet story of unemployed Buffalo, N.Y., steelworkers who decide to become strippers for a one-night-only show – adapted for the stage and American audiences from the British film of the same name – is brought to lustrous life by Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, now onstage at Provincetown Theater. High-energy and extremely well-acted by a first-class cast, this production doesn’t miss a beat between its bookend scenes, opening and closing with eye-catching adult entertainment.
The clever, witty music and lyrics of David Yazbek make the show pop, handling its lovable losers with a deftly crafted touch that largely makes up for a skin-deep examination of heavy topics such as depression, suicide, confusion over sexual identity and gender inequality. And where Terrence McNally’s book falls short in providing depth to sometimes one-dimensional characters, the actors step up to imbue them with honesty in their overarching struggles with male insecurity.
At the center of the show are Everyman Jerry Lukowski (played by Beau Jackett) and his sensitive, overweight best friend, Dave Bukatinsky (Terrence Brady), who Lukowski endearingly calls a “fat bastard.” Along with their out-of-work peers, they’re fed up with not being the breadwinners in their families, bemoaning their increasingly pathetic station in life in “Scrap” – one of several group numbers expertly led by director and choreographer Terry Norgeot. Making matters worse, the Chippendales are in town, drawing away all the newly empowered and employed local women. Lukowski hatches a ludicrous plan: create a version of the show with “real” men, and make $50,000 to pay child support for son Nathan to his ex-wife.
Jackett anchors the show with his empathetic portrayal of a father who’s just trying to hold on to his boy as another man enters the picture. His voice rings true as he sings to the sleeping adolescent in “Breeze Off the River,” and also emboldens Bukatinsky with the declarative “Man.” In a role that could be cast off as merely the comedic sidekick, Brady gives an outstanding performance of a broken man trying to find a way back into his wife’s heart, only to discover that he has had all the support he needs if he could just see beyond his own fears. (Julie Bray is touching and sincere as his wife, Georgie.)
The best friends recruit a colorful cast of singers and dancers with varying levels of talent, finding the first, steel-mill security guard Malcolm (Ben Berry), by accident, as he tries to kill himself in his car through carbon monoxide poisoning. Berry’s facial expressions and physicality ably tell the story of a dim and friendless loner who lives at home with his ailing and domineering mother. It’s a joy to watch him delightedly – after some initial confusion – join in with the boys, as they sing about how they’d help him end it all in the darkly funny “Big-Ass Rock.”
Ex-foreman Harold Nichols (the exasperated but clearly loving-this-role Tom Stajmiger) is recruited for his choreography skills, plucked from a dance lesson with his sassy wife Vicki (Jessica Rhodes, who gives an animated, over-the-top view of her “Life With Harold” in a terrific song and dance). Nichols is in deep, having lost his job six months ago but still hiding it from Vicki, who loves travel and the finer things in life.
Rounding out the ragtag crew are the arthritic, older “Horse” (or Noah Simmons, as played by the unstoppable Reggie Whitehead), who moves like James Brown and brings the house down in “Big Black Man”; and clueless Ethan (endearingly goofy Matthew Bittner), whose lack of any real talents are made up for by his hilariously determined pursuit of walking up a wall and his impressive … err … package.
The sextet find strength in their camaraderie and come together through dance moves derived from their time on the basketball court, as they work toward their big night and the opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of those they care about. There are several anxiety-induced fits and starts throughout their journey and one minor, somewhat sudden plot twist along the way, but it is in their support systems that they find the strength to take the stage.
Supporting these “real men” is a fantastic ensemble, including a group of spunky women; standout Sue Keller as the “been there, done that” keyboard player Janette Burmeister; and impressive youngster Quinn Schuyler, who brings realism to the relationship Nathan has with his father, balancing both the character’s disaffected, reluctant enthusiasm about spending time with his old man and his admiration and support as the “loser” tries to become a better provider.
There are no ifs, ands or … butts about it: “The Full Monty” is a fully enjoyable night of theater. It flexes its musical muscles with panache and passion, and is not to be missed – though maybe leave the kids at home, as the show does not shy away from nudity. Will you get “the Full Monty”? You’ll have to come to the show to find out.
By Kay Keogh
CAPE COD TIMES
Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 4:29 PM
Updated Jul 19, 2016 at 5:05 PM
PROVINCETOWN – What makes a “real man”? In “The Full Monty,” a musical that’s engaging enough to make you forget the ultimate question of “Will they bare it all?” the naked truth is that it’s not brains or brawn but heart that defines a man’s true character.
Sometimes, though, learning how to move in a thong or your birthday suit doesn’t hurt.
The surprisingly sweet story of unemployed Buffalo, N.Y., steelworkers who decide to become strippers for a one-night-only show – adapted for the stage and American audiences from the British film of the same name – is brought to lustrous life by Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, now onstage at Provincetown Theater. High-energy and extremely well-acted by a first-class cast, this production doesn’t miss a beat between its bookend scenes, opening and closing with eye-catching adult entertainment.
The clever, witty music and lyrics of David Yazbek make the show pop, handling its lovable losers with a deftly crafted touch that largely makes up for a skin-deep examination of heavy topics such as depression, suicide, confusion over sexual identity and gender inequality. And where Terrence McNally’s book falls short in providing depth to sometimes one-dimensional characters, the actors step up to imbue them with honesty in their overarching struggles with male insecurity.
At the center of the show are Everyman Jerry Lukowski (played by Beau Jackett) and his sensitive, overweight best friend, Dave Bukatinsky (Terrence Brady), who Lukowski endearingly calls a “fat bastard.” Along with their out-of-work peers, they’re fed up with not being the breadwinners in their families, bemoaning their increasingly pathetic station in life in “Scrap” – one of several group numbers expertly led by director and choreographer Terry Norgeot. Making matters worse, the Chippendales are in town, drawing away all the newly empowered and employed local women. Lukowski hatches a ludicrous plan: create a version of the show with “real” men, and make $50,000 to pay child support for son Nathan to his ex-wife.
Jackett anchors the show with his empathetic portrayal of a father who’s just trying to hold on to his boy as another man enters the picture. His voice rings true as he sings to the sleeping adolescent in “Breeze Off the River,” and also emboldens Bukatinsky with the declarative “Man.” In a role that could be cast off as merely the comedic sidekick, Brady gives an outstanding performance of a broken man trying to find a way back into his wife’s heart, only to discover that he has had all the support he needs if he could just see beyond his own fears. (Julie Bray is touching and sincere as his wife, Georgie.)
The best friends recruit a colorful cast of singers and dancers with varying levels of talent, finding the first, steel-mill security guard Malcolm (Ben Berry), by accident, as he tries to kill himself in his car through carbon monoxide poisoning. Berry’s facial expressions and physicality ably tell the story of a dim and friendless loner who lives at home with his ailing and domineering mother. It’s a joy to watch him delightedly – after some initial confusion – join in with the boys, as they sing about how they’d help him end it all in the darkly funny “Big-Ass Rock.”
Ex-foreman Harold Nichols (the exasperated but clearly loving-this-role Tom Stajmiger) is recruited for his choreography skills, plucked from a dance lesson with his sassy wife Vicki (Jessica Rhodes, who gives an animated, over-the-top view of her “Life With Harold” in a terrific song and dance). Nichols is in deep, having lost his job six months ago but still hiding it from Vicki, who loves travel and the finer things in life.
Rounding out the ragtag crew are the arthritic, older “Horse” (or Noah Simmons, as played by the unstoppable Reggie Whitehead), who moves like James Brown and brings the house down in “Big Black Man”; and clueless Ethan (endearingly goofy Matthew Bittner), whose lack of any real talents are made up for by his hilariously determined pursuit of walking up a wall and his impressive … err … package.
The sextet find strength in their camaraderie and come together through dance moves derived from their time on the basketball court, as they work toward their big night and the opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of those they care about. There are several anxiety-induced fits and starts throughout their journey and one minor, somewhat sudden plot twist along the way, but it is in their support systems that they find the strength to take the stage.
Supporting these “real men” is a fantastic ensemble, including a group of spunky women; standout Sue Keller as the “been there, done that” keyboard player Janette Burmeister; and impressive youngster Quinn Schuyler, who brings realism to the relationship Nathan has with his father, balancing both the character’s disaffected, reluctant enthusiasm about spending time with his old man and his admiration and support as the “loser” tries to become a better provider.
There are no ifs, ands or … butts about it: “The Full Monty” is a fully enjoyable night of theater. It flexes its musical muscles with panache and passion, and is not to be missed – though maybe leave the kids at home, as the show does not shy away from nudity. Will you get “the Full Monty”? You’ll have to come to the show to find out.
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED
REVIEW: The Little Dog Laughed
PROVINCETOWN MAGAZINE
by Steve Desroches
It’s 2004 and Mitchell Green, a rising movie star, is about to have all of his Hollywood dreams come true, which means that his agent Diane’s ambitions are coming to fruition, too. The problem is Mitchell can’t stop calling a certain rent boy named Alex who will certainly blow his leading man persona. And the situation is made all the more complicated by Alex’s girlfriend Ellen who’s partying and shopping her way through New York City trying her best to avoid feeling much of anything, until an emotion finally sneaks through her fortifications. Douglas Carter Beane’s The Little Dog Laughed is a comedic 21st century love story and good choice to open Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s third season with a slick bang at the Provincetown Theater.
The prolific theater company fabulously shows off their acting abilities with strong performances under the smart and stylish direction of Ben Berry, who, along with his husband Adam Berry, Tessa Bry Taylor, and Jake Ford, founded the theatrical troupe in 2013. Andrew Clemons as Mitchell and Matthew Bittner as Alex have a wonderful chemistry as actors paying close attention to avoid the pitfalls of presenting these Hollywood star-crossed lovers as overwrought. It’s a sensual and at the same time sentimental first-love kind of story, and their performances bring out that tender element, albeit with a storyline of extraordinary circumstances. Their biggest accomplishment is that you believe their characters’ stories throughout.
Ruby Wolf, as Ellen, is always a delight to watch finding nuance in her characters with a knack for Seinfeldian humor that gives her performance an endearing quality beyond her years; an old soul trapped in the body of an irresponsible 20-something on ecstasy. Jessica Rhodes’s performance as the hard-driving Diane signals she is destined for a larger stage—the kind you hope to see in Provincetown so you can say you saw them when. She finds the depth of complexity inherent in the character that makes her a complete person who understands the cruel and unfair world in which they live and knows how to play the long game and not let the heartbreak get you down.
In this play, which at ten years old still shows how Hollywood is hopelessly behind in tackling homophobia, the writing is crisp and punchy, a real joy to hear, like this stellar line delivered by Diane explaining to Mitchell how things are for a gay actor:
“You listen to me. We are investing money into a property that will fill the common woman with lust and fill the common man with envy. My problem is that if you start walking around with your ‘friend’ over there, you will not inspire lust in common women and every common man will feel superior to you.”
The Little Dog Laughed runs at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Monday through Thursday until July 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 and $38.50 and are available at the box office and online at provincetowntheater.org. For more information call 508.487.7487.
PROVINCETOWN MAGAZINE
by Steve Desroches
It’s 2004 and Mitchell Green, a rising movie star, is about to have all of his Hollywood dreams come true, which means that his agent Diane’s ambitions are coming to fruition, too. The problem is Mitchell can’t stop calling a certain rent boy named Alex who will certainly blow his leading man persona. And the situation is made all the more complicated by Alex’s girlfriend Ellen who’s partying and shopping her way through New York City trying her best to avoid feeling much of anything, until an emotion finally sneaks through her fortifications. Douglas Carter Beane’s The Little Dog Laughed is a comedic 21st century love story and good choice to open Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s third season with a slick bang at the Provincetown Theater.
The prolific theater company fabulously shows off their acting abilities with strong performances under the smart and stylish direction of Ben Berry, who, along with his husband Adam Berry, Tessa Bry Taylor, and Jake Ford, founded the theatrical troupe in 2013. Andrew Clemons as Mitchell and Matthew Bittner as Alex have a wonderful chemistry as actors paying close attention to avoid the pitfalls of presenting these Hollywood star-crossed lovers as overwrought. It’s a sensual and at the same time sentimental first-love kind of story, and their performances bring out that tender element, albeit with a storyline of extraordinary circumstances. Their biggest accomplishment is that you believe their characters’ stories throughout.
Ruby Wolf, as Ellen, is always a delight to watch finding nuance in her characters with a knack for Seinfeldian humor that gives her performance an endearing quality beyond her years; an old soul trapped in the body of an irresponsible 20-something on ecstasy. Jessica Rhodes’s performance as the hard-driving Diane signals she is destined for a larger stage—the kind you hope to see in Provincetown so you can say you saw them when. She finds the depth of complexity inherent in the character that makes her a complete person who understands the cruel and unfair world in which they live and knows how to play the long game and not let the heartbreak get you down.
In this play, which at ten years old still shows how Hollywood is hopelessly behind in tackling homophobia, the writing is crisp and punchy, a real joy to hear, like this stellar line delivered by Diane explaining to Mitchell how things are for a gay actor:
“You listen to me. We are investing money into a property that will fill the common woman with lust and fill the common man with envy. My problem is that if you start walking around with your ‘friend’ over there, you will not inspire lust in common women and every common man will feel superior to you.”
The Little Dog Laughed runs at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Monday through Thursday until July 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 and $38.50 and are available at the box office and online at provincetowntheater.org. For more information call 508.487.7487.
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's 'The Little Dog Laughed' is a howl in Provincetown
By Tal Zamir
THE PROVINCETOWN BANNER
“The Little Dog Laughed,” directed by Ben Berry and written by Douglas Carter Beane, premiered at Provincetown Theater last week to a full house. The play, which takes place in 2004, follows Mitchell (Andrew Clemons), an A-list closeted celebrity, his young love interest, the handsome hustler Alex (Matthew Bittner), Alex’s girlfriend Ellen (Ruby Wolf) and Mitchell’s avaricious agent Diane (Jessica Rhodes).
The play is hilarious, from the physical comedy (note: nude scenes included) to the quips of the characters (oh, if only people’s everyday conversation could be that sophisticated). The audience erupted in laughter when Mitchell said, “The last time [I had sex with a man] was in Boy Scouts,” and Alex responded, “The merit badge that dare not speak its name.” But it is undoubtedly an odd play, one that purports to be a comedy but behaves like a tragedy. It is a comedy where no one is happy at the end.
In the ancient Greek theater, tragedies always take place in the past and comedies in the present. The tragedy’s past setting puts distance between the audience and the topic of the play. The comedy, which might cover similar issues, shields the audience from truth with humor.
This play relies on humor, but places it among striking elements of nostalgia. The Juicy Couture shopping bag (where did they find that?), the cell phone ring tones that double as personal soundtracks and the music from the Postal Service were spot-on early millennium. And yet, the topic — staying in the closet for the sake of one’s career — is heartbreaking. It is an odd nostalgia, one that seems to suggest that all parties involved (the writer, the director, the characters) miss the bad old days. Why would one feel nostalgic for a time that was bad? Simple: It is the life and world they know.
Ellen Rousseau designed the set — at times a hotel room, a restaurant and a dingy apartment — which is perfect in its restraint. Awash with geometric patterns, it features a bed, doors with locks, and an overall angular design. There is not a permissive curve to the place. Very straight.
Ruby Wolf shone as Ellen, the wounded dove of a girlfriend. When she presses her tongue against her cheek, the gesture is loud — you see it from the great height of the audience. Similarly, Matthew Bittner is effective as Alex in the small moments. His eyes radiate hurt, and indecision. It’s unclear in the beginning, as well it should be, whether Alex is going for the long con with Mitch, or has emotions for Mitch. I had my doubts about Andrew Clemons, as Mitchell, in the first scene, a moment of inebriation for the character: it was a little over the top. To persuade us that his character was drunk, he needed to act like a drunken person who is trying to appear sober and fails. What is convincing is Clemons’s closeted homosexuality. Even drunk, he tries to hide. When he asks for gestures that show basic love or humanity, such as sleeping in a bed with his lover (just sleeping), he makes it seem forbidden. And finally, Jessica Rhodes as Diane is Herculean. She transitions from wit to worry in a heartbeat, and she pulls you through it without hesitations.
What was intriguing was the dichotomy of ages shown in the acting. The young characters are visibly young in their behaviors (never mind their bodies), in that they do not yet know how to interact with older people (Mitch, Diane, “Screecher”). They seem to radiate fear, which is fantastic. The older generation is less afraid, more calculating, and when they do show their weakness, it is presented in a slow undressing, a conscious decision to let your guard down, so that others know you will immediately put it back up.
And again, there is that nostalgia. The set, the music, the lines. Why? There is a Machiavellian dichotomy at play here: you can choose either to be out and lose your career, or closeted and successful. There is a sense that the play misses the bad old days of closeted careers, perhaps because the options were simpler. You must choose between A and B, as if these were the only options, but don’t you dare look up at the sky, or you might realize how large the universe is, and terrifying.
By Tal Zamir
THE PROVINCETOWN BANNER
“The Little Dog Laughed,” directed by Ben Berry and written by Douglas Carter Beane, premiered at Provincetown Theater last week to a full house. The play, which takes place in 2004, follows Mitchell (Andrew Clemons), an A-list closeted celebrity, his young love interest, the handsome hustler Alex (Matthew Bittner), Alex’s girlfriend Ellen (Ruby Wolf) and Mitchell’s avaricious agent Diane (Jessica Rhodes).
The play is hilarious, from the physical comedy (note: nude scenes included) to the quips of the characters (oh, if only people’s everyday conversation could be that sophisticated). The audience erupted in laughter when Mitchell said, “The last time [I had sex with a man] was in Boy Scouts,” and Alex responded, “The merit badge that dare not speak its name.” But it is undoubtedly an odd play, one that purports to be a comedy but behaves like a tragedy. It is a comedy where no one is happy at the end.
In the ancient Greek theater, tragedies always take place in the past and comedies in the present. The tragedy’s past setting puts distance between the audience and the topic of the play. The comedy, which might cover similar issues, shields the audience from truth with humor.
This play relies on humor, but places it among striking elements of nostalgia. The Juicy Couture shopping bag (where did they find that?), the cell phone ring tones that double as personal soundtracks and the music from the Postal Service were spot-on early millennium. And yet, the topic — staying in the closet for the sake of one’s career — is heartbreaking. It is an odd nostalgia, one that seems to suggest that all parties involved (the writer, the director, the characters) miss the bad old days. Why would one feel nostalgic for a time that was bad? Simple: It is the life and world they know.
Ellen Rousseau designed the set — at times a hotel room, a restaurant and a dingy apartment — which is perfect in its restraint. Awash with geometric patterns, it features a bed, doors with locks, and an overall angular design. There is not a permissive curve to the place. Very straight.
Ruby Wolf shone as Ellen, the wounded dove of a girlfriend. When she presses her tongue against her cheek, the gesture is loud — you see it from the great height of the audience. Similarly, Matthew Bittner is effective as Alex in the small moments. His eyes radiate hurt, and indecision. It’s unclear in the beginning, as well it should be, whether Alex is going for the long con with Mitch, or has emotions for Mitch. I had my doubts about Andrew Clemons, as Mitchell, in the first scene, a moment of inebriation for the character: it was a little over the top. To persuade us that his character was drunk, he needed to act like a drunken person who is trying to appear sober and fails. What is convincing is Clemons’s closeted homosexuality. Even drunk, he tries to hide. When he asks for gestures that show basic love or humanity, such as sleeping in a bed with his lover (just sleeping), he makes it seem forbidden. And finally, Jessica Rhodes as Diane is Herculean. She transitions from wit to worry in a heartbeat, and she pulls you through it without hesitations.
What was intriguing was the dichotomy of ages shown in the acting. The young characters are visibly young in their behaviors (never mind their bodies), in that they do not yet know how to interact with older people (Mitch, Diane, “Screecher”). They seem to radiate fear, which is fantastic. The older generation is less afraid, more calculating, and when they do show their weakness, it is presented in a slow undressing, a conscious decision to let your guard down, so that others know you will immediately put it back up.
And again, there is that nostalgia. The set, the music, the lines. Why? There is a Machiavellian dichotomy at play here: you can choose either to be out and lose your career, or closeted and successful. There is a sense that the play misses the bad old days of closeted careers, perhaps because the options were simpler. You must choose between A and B, as if these were the only options, but don’t you dare look up at the sky, or you might realize how large the universe is, and terrifying.
'Little Dog' delivers laughs
By Carol Panasci
CAPE COD TIMES
Jun 22, 2016 at 2:17 PM
PROVINCETOWN – “Hollywood agent determined to save career by keeping it in the closet,” reads the promo for “The Little Dog Laughed,” now playing at the Provincetown Theater.
Diane (Jessica Rhodes) is the powerhouse agent in question, sort of the devil wearing Prada as scripted by Aaron Sorkin. She is a brash, fast-talking force to be reckoned with, complete with a cell phone appendage. Her star client, Mitchell Green, is the one she needs to keep in the closet. This handsome heartthrob has a tendency to hire sweet young “rent boys” on the sly, keeping his sexual orientation secret. Up to a point.
As the story begins, Mitch (Andrew Clemons) is in a drunken stupor in his New York hotel room when there is a knock on the door. Enter Alex (Matthew Bittner), from the “Manhattan School Boys” service Mitch had apparently engaged. Mitch is a man living a lie; Alex is a hustler taking advantage of men living lies and is in the business only for the cash. Or is he? The two men quickly connect, complicating not only Mitch’s career, but Alex’s relationship with his girlfriend, Ellen (Ruby Wolf).
Ellen and Alex are a sweet, doomed couple. She admits that she couldn’t “identify one of my emotions in a lineup” and proclaims “We’re 24. Hope is dead.” He goes missing for days at a time, suggesting he is staying with friends, not “friend” Mitch.
On the surface, this is a tale of deception. Mitch is passing as a straight man. Diane is not only his agent but also his beard; she is a lesbian passing as his agent/girlfriend. Alex is positioning himself as a hetero-hustler while his girlfriend patiently waits for him to return to her. Digging deeper one might discover political and social messages about societal norms and expectations. But don’t dig too deep; this show is all about the laughs. And there are plenty.
Interesting staging elements include video screens offering static visuals to augment the plot line and, at the end, provide a cheeky video dénouement. A memorable sequence involving recorded voiceovers reveals the characters’ innermost thoughts and another clever execution allows us to understand the feelings of new lovers waking up together.
The script is sharp, quick-witted and entirely entertaining. All the performers are strong and capable. It is the women, however, who take the evening. Their roles are juicier and their monologues are more intricately scripted. Their delivery is flawless, quicksilver and hilarious. Kudos to Ben Berry’s direction and the talented production crew.
By Carol Panasci
CAPE COD TIMES
Jun 22, 2016 at 2:17 PM
PROVINCETOWN – “Hollywood agent determined to save career by keeping it in the closet,” reads the promo for “The Little Dog Laughed,” now playing at the Provincetown Theater.
Diane (Jessica Rhodes) is the powerhouse agent in question, sort of the devil wearing Prada as scripted by Aaron Sorkin. She is a brash, fast-talking force to be reckoned with, complete with a cell phone appendage. Her star client, Mitchell Green, is the one she needs to keep in the closet. This handsome heartthrob has a tendency to hire sweet young “rent boys” on the sly, keeping his sexual orientation secret. Up to a point.
As the story begins, Mitch (Andrew Clemons) is in a drunken stupor in his New York hotel room when there is a knock on the door. Enter Alex (Matthew Bittner), from the “Manhattan School Boys” service Mitch had apparently engaged. Mitch is a man living a lie; Alex is a hustler taking advantage of men living lies and is in the business only for the cash. Or is he? The two men quickly connect, complicating not only Mitch’s career, but Alex’s relationship with his girlfriend, Ellen (Ruby Wolf).
Ellen and Alex are a sweet, doomed couple. She admits that she couldn’t “identify one of my emotions in a lineup” and proclaims “We’re 24. Hope is dead.” He goes missing for days at a time, suggesting he is staying with friends, not “friend” Mitch.
On the surface, this is a tale of deception. Mitch is passing as a straight man. Diane is not only his agent but also his beard; she is a lesbian passing as his agent/girlfriend. Alex is positioning himself as a hetero-hustler while his girlfriend patiently waits for him to return to her. Digging deeper one might discover political and social messages about societal norms and expectations. But don’t dig too deep; this show is all about the laughs. And there are plenty.
Interesting staging elements include video screens offering static visuals to augment the plot line and, at the end, provide a cheeky video dénouement. A memorable sequence involving recorded voiceovers reveals the characters’ innermost thoughts and another clever execution allows us to understand the feelings of new lovers waking up together.
The script is sharp, quick-witted and entirely entertaining. All the performers are strong and capable. It is the women, however, who take the evening. Their roles are juicier and their monologues are more intricately scripted. Their delivery is flawless, quicksilver and hilarious. Kudos to Ben Berry’s direction and the talented production crew.
BLUE DUSK: Gay plays by tennessee williams reviews
Cape Cod Times
By Carol Panasci
‘Blue Dusk’ rewarding night of Tennessee Williams
PROVINCETOWN – Tennessee Williams, one of America’s most revered playwrights, created fascinating, often flawed female characters. Think Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire” or Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie.”
Critics have suggested that these women were sort of literary beards, crafted as veiled expressions of Williams’ closeted homosexuality.
As early as 1940, however, Williams wrote autobiographical works that acknowledged his sexual orientation. Two of these one-act wonders are currently playing in tandem at Provincetown High School, home to the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble.
Packaged as “Blue Dusk: Gay Plays by Tennessee Williams,” the evening comprises “And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens,” written in 1957, and “The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer,” drafted in 1940, revised in 1962 and debuted in 2006. Neither play was produced in Williams’ lifetime; they were rescued from the archives, part of the legacy left by this talented, clearly conflicted playwright.
In “And Tell Sad Stories…” we meet Candy (Ben Berry), a wealthy New Orleans resident who picked up Karl (Nash Hightower), a rough and ready type, and lured him back to his apartment with promises of alcohol and monetary compensation. Candy is straight about his homosexuality; Karl’s sort of an equal opportunity exploiter, an opportunist who seizes the moment but vehemently denies any homosexual leaning. Their drama unfolds, peppered with brilliant dialogue (“Your eyes are the soft blue of a lunar moth,” “I’m not crazy, just very abnormal”), posturing, passion and a violent pas de deux.
Far from a tony New Orleans home, the second play, “The Parade,” takes place in Provincetown, on a platform on the beach designed as a receptacle for mail dropped from a helicopter but re-imagined as a rehearsal space for Dick (Nash Hightower), an aspiring dancer. Don (Ben Berry) is in love with Dick, and Miriam (Ruby Wolf) is in love with Don. It’s complicated. But it was even more complicated in 1940, when Williams wrote the play based on his own experience in Provincetown. Don speaks of the “great loneliness of the flesh” and muses that “Love is like a circus parade that has never come.”
I confess I love the edgy stuff even more than I love the standards. Yes, it’s great to see a musical on a picture-perfect summer night, but it’s also really rewarding to see a company take chances. And the Peregrine Players took risks with this production.
The venue is nothing if not funky: a school auditorium retro-fitted to accommodate “Carrie,” the other show playing this summer. Lighting and set design by Christopher Hellman makes creative use of the sparse stage, transforming it from a posh home to a quiet beach. Berry and Hightower prove compelling and versatile as they morph characters between one-act plays. Wolf is exceptional, an authentic voice and character who conveys the poignancy, pathos and practicality of Miriam.
It is really rewarding to experience an evening of theater that encourages conversation, investigation and a desire to know more. Entertainment? Yes, all for it. Entertainment coupled with introspection? Bingo.
By Carol Panasci
‘Blue Dusk’ rewarding night of Tennessee Williams
- The evening comprises “And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens,” written in 1957, and “The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer,” drafted in 1940, revised in 1962 and debuted in 2006.
PROVINCETOWN – Tennessee Williams, one of America’s most revered playwrights, created fascinating, often flawed female characters. Think Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire” or Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie.”
Critics have suggested that these women were sort of literary beards, crafted as veiled expressions of Williams’ closeted homosexuality.
As early as 1940, however, Williams wrote autobiographical works that acknowledged his sexual orientation. Two of these one-act wonders are currently playing in tandem at Provincetown High School, home to the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble.
Packaged as “Blue Dusk: Gay Plays by Tennessee Williams,” the evening comprises “And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens,” written in 1957, and “The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer,” drafted in 1940, revised in 1962 and debuted in 2006. Neither play was produced in Williams’ lifetime; they were rescued from the archives, part of the legacy left by this talented, clearly conflicted playwright.
In “And Tell Sad Stories…” we meet Candy (Ben Berry), a wealthy New Orleans resident who picked up Karl (Nash Hightower), a rough and ready type, and lured him back to his apartment with promises of alcohol and monetary compensation. Candy is straight about his homosexuality; Karl’s sort of an equal opportunity exploiter, an opportunist who seizes the moment but vehemently denies any homosexual leaning. Their drama unfolds, peppered with brilliant dialogue (“Your eyes are the soft blue of a lunar moth,” “I’m not crazy, just very abnormal”), posturing, passion and a violent pas de deux.
Far from a tony New Orleans home, the second play, “The Parade,” takes place in Provincetown, on a platform on the beach designed as a receptacle for mail dropped from a helicopter but re-imagined as a rehearsal space for Dick (Nash Hightower), an aspiring dancer. Don (Ben Berry) is in love with Dick, and Miriam (Ruby Wolf) is in love with Don. It’s complicated. But it was even more complicated in 1940, when Williams wrote the play based on his own experience in Provincetown. Don speaks of the “great loneliness of the flesh” and muses that “Love is like a circus parade that has never come.”
I confess I love the edgy stuff even more than I love the standards. Yes, it’s great to see a musical on a picture-perfect summer night, but it’s also really rewarding to see a company take chances. And the Peregrine Players took risks with this production.
The venue is nothing if not funky: a school auditorium retro-fitted to accommodate “Carrie,” the other show playing this summer. Lighting and set design by Christopher Hellman makes creative use of the sparse stage, transforming it from a posh home to a quiet beach. Berry and Hightower prove compelling and versatile as they morph characters between one-act plays. Wolf is exceptional, an authentic voice and character who conveys the poignancy, pathos and practicality of Miriam.
It is really rewarding to experience an evening of theater that encourages conversation, investigation and a desire to know more. Entertainment? Yes, all for it. Entertainment coupled with introspection? Bingo.
CARRIE the musical
Cape Cod Times
By Laurie Higgins
Contributing Writer
Posted Jul. 7, 2015 at 1:40 PM
PROVINCETOWN – When “Carrie the Musical” first opened in England in 1988 before moving to Broadway for a short term, it was dubbed one of the “worst musicals ever.” Since then it has undergone a revision. The original playwrights, Michael Gore (music), Dean Pitchford (lyrics) and Lawrence D. Cohn (book and screenplay writer of the classic film) teamed up with director Stafford Arima and MCC Theater to rework the musical into the fine piece Peregrine Theatre Ensemble is currently showcasing in Provincetown.
Peregrine’s version of “Carrie” is simply mesmerizing, in large part due to an incredibly talented young cast members who all gave riveting performances with strong vocals. Director Chris Betts did a wonderful job at making all the characters sympathetic at some point in the production. The lines between good and bad are blurred in a way that humanizes each character, even the ones you want to hate.
It’s both sad and true that the message portrayed in “Carrie” still resonates with modern audiences. Bullying is as alive and well in 2015, as it was in 1974 when Stephen King wrote the original novel. This version of the story takes place in a small town in western Maine in the present day, which adds another layer of torture to the bullying.
As Carrie gets her first period in the girls shower and is terrified because she doesn’t know what is happening, several girls take videos of the scene on their iPhones to share on social media sites. Later, when Sue asks her boyfriend Tommy to take Carrie to the prom, the cellphones of the other characters all light up as they buzz about the latest gossip.
In the title role, Missy Michael Jamieson is simply wonderful. She channels all the facets of Carrie, from terrorized student to hopeful young woman who dreams she might have a real future. She also does a wonderful job at showing Carrie’s confusion at the dissonance between the evangelical teachings of her mother and the real world she lives in.
Paige McNamara is equally remarkable as Carrie’s mother, Margaret White. She is at turns a loving mother and a truly chilling religious fanatic. When she goes into one of her religious tirades, it is like she is possessed. It is a powerful performance that will not be soon forgotten.
Jane Bernhard and Ryan Ballard are perfectly cast as the high school sweethearts trying to do the right thing. Both actors show a wonderful range in both their emotions and singing. They are especially sweet in “You Shine,” which makes their love story even more tragic. Mia Gerachis and Adam Berry are also well matched as Chris and Billy, the couple who are so caught up in themselves and revenge that they can’t see that other people have feelings too.
As Ms. Gardner, Bronwyn Whittle also gives a solid performance and has a wonderful voice. Strong singing all around was one of the notable aspects of “Carrie.”
The songs themselves aren’t memorable enough that you walk out of the theater humming them, but they do carry the plot forward nicely. The only criticism is that at times the wonderful seven-piece live band was a little too loud and overpowered several solo singers on stage. That was not true of the ensemble numbers, which were all powerhouses also beautifully choreographed by Amanda Pinto.
The decision to stage “Carrie” at Provincetown High School was brilliant. The doors to the theater are similar to gym doors, and when they are clicked closed before the show starts it creates an appropriately chilling feeling. The hallways outside the theater are lined with lockers filled with memorabilia from the character’s lives. The composition notebook in Carrie’s locker offers more insight into the character and is well worth perusing.
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has presented a thought-provoking show that is less about horror than it is about the pressures teenagers face and the mistakes they make along the way. This incredibly talented and creative company is well worth keeping an eye on for both this show and anything they do in the future.
By Laurie Higgins
Contributing Writer
Posted Jul. 7, 2015 at 1:40 PM
PROVINCETOWN – When “Carrie the Musical” first opened in England in 1988 before moving to Broadway for a short term, it was dubbed one of the “worst musicals ever.” Since then it has undergone a revision. The original playwrights, Michael Gore (music), Dean Pitchford (lyrics) and Lawrence D. Cohn (book and screenplay writer of the classic film) teamed up with director Stafford Arima and MCC Theater to rework the musical into the fine piece Peregrine Theatre Ensemble is currently showcasing in Provincetown.
Peregrine’s version of “Carrie” is simply mesmerizing, in large part due to an incredibly talented young cast members who all gave riveting performances with strong vocals. Director Chris Betts did a wonderful job at making all the characters sympathetic at some point in the production. The lines between good and bad are blurred in a way that humanizes each character, even the ones you want to hate.
It’s both sad and true that the message portrayed in “Carrie” still resonates with modern audiences. Bullying is as alive and well in 2015, as it was in 1974 when Stephen King wrote the original novel. This version of the story takes place in a small town in western Maine in the present day, which adds another layer of torture to the bullying.
As Carrie gets her first period in the girls shower and is terrified because she doesn’t know what is happening, several girls take videos of the scene on their iPhones to share on social media sites. Later, when Sue asks her boyfriend Tommy to take Carrie to the prom, the cellphones of the other characters all light up as they buzz about the latest gossip.
In the title role, Missy Michael Jamieson is simply wonderful. She channels all the facets of Carrie, from terrorized student to hopeful young woman who dreams she might have a real future. She also does a wonderful job at showing Carrie’s confusion at the dissonance between the evangelical teachings of her mother and the real world she lives in.
Paige McNamara is equally remarkable as Carrie’s mother, Margaret White. She is at turns a loving mother and a truly chilling religious fanatic. When she goes into one of her religious tirades, it is like she is possessed. It is a powerful performance that will not be soon forgotten.
Jane Bernhard and Ryan Ballard are perfectly cast as the high school sweethearts trying to do the right thing. Both actors show a wonderful range in both their emotions and singing. They are especially sweet in “You Shine,” which makes their love story even more tragic. Mia Gerachis and Adam Berry are also well matched as Chris and Billy, the couple who are so caught up in themselves and revenge that they can’t see that other people have feelings too.
As Ms. Gardner, Bronwyn Whittle also gives a solid performance and has a wonderful voice. Strong singing all around was one of the notable aspects of “Carrie.”
The songs themselves aren’t memorable enough that you walk out of the theater humming them, but they do carry the plot forward nicely. The only criticism is that at times the wonderful seven-piece live band was a little too loud and overpowered several solo singers on stage. That was not true of the ensemble numbers, which were all powerhouses also beautifully choreographed by Amanda Pinto.
The decision to stage “Carrie” at Provincetown High School was brilliant. The doors to the theater are similar to gym doors, and when they are clicked closed before the show starts it creates an appropriately chilling feeling. The hallways outside the theater are lined with lockers filled with memorabilia from the character’s lives. The composition notebook in Carrie’s locker offers more insight into the character and is well worth perusing.
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has presented a thought-provoking show that is less about horror than it is about the pressures teenagers face and the mistakes they make along the way. This incredibly talented and creative company is well worth keeping an eye on for both this show and anything they do in the future.
Examiner.com
Carrie - the musical
by Patrick Riviere
Provincetown Performing
Arts Examiner
July 8, 2015
It’s safe to assume that a majority of folks out there are familiar with the story of Carrie White and the horror film based on Stephen King’s novel, Carrie. Somewhat less of the population may be aware that the story was musicalized in 1988 making it to Broadway where it played a mere sixteen previews and five performances before shuddering with abysmal reviews. In 2012 a revamp of the musical was produced by Off-Broadway's MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. That production met with much more favorable reviews and it is that version which Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has brought to the Provincetown Schools Auditorium.
You know the basic plot by now…Carrie White (played by Missy Michael Jamieson) is the misfit and laughing stock at her high school where her damaged and evangelical mother (played by Paige McNamara) went before her. There are the horrible bullies, the tag-along bullies and the couple kids who regret their actions. There is that uncomfortableness of trying to figure out who you are and where you belong (illustrated quite effectively in the opening number of the show, In, with the lyric: “…cuz life just doesn’t begin…until you’re in!”) There are the school teachers trying to let kids be kids while coming to realize one of their charges is particularly lost and afraid. And there is the overprotective and warped single mother locking her daughter in the basement to pray; trying to control that which she has no control over. An embarrassing and almost “hard to believe” incident in the girl’s showers at the gym sets a series of events in motion which ultimately leads everyone to the Senior Prom. Banished from prom senior Chris (played by Mia Gerachis) hatches a plot to have Carrie crowned Prom Queen only to destroy her joy by having her bully boyfriend Billy (played by Adam Berry) rig a bucket of pig’s blood to dump on her head at the moment she is crowned. The blood sets off Carrie’s worst fears and, of course, triggers her powers that ultimately exact revenge on her wrongdoers. It’s hard to pull off a Hamlet like ending in a musical, but Peregrine does a noble job. And while this treatment of the material does include some telekinesis and blood, the primary focus of the story centers around bullying and the ramifications of our words and actions (a continually recurring theme in our society especially poignant in recent weeks with marriage equality and the appalling church killings and burnings).
I must admit that I never saw the Broadway or Off-Broadway productions of CARRIE and only have the movie as reference, but even this revamp suffers some book flaws – primarily several ballooned sequences (especially within the prom of Act 2) that are unnecessary and don’t advance the plot. The reprise of Dreamer in Disguise could be cut. In addition, there are some practical and technical issues that must be addressed by Peregrine’s creative team if they are going to make this theater their home (and I certainly hope they do). The acoustics in the space are extremely challenging – especially for a musical. Add to that what appeared to be sound system issues and you have entire group sequences where it was impossible to hear any of the spoken dialogue and even in some of the spoken duet exchanges when there is orchestra underscore. While much of the blame goes to the space, some of the responsibility must fall to director Christopher Betts for not reigning in some of the shrieking and screaming in those first ten minutes and in other scenes along the way. While it may seem “realistic” in the portrayal of high school students and their behavior, if the audience can’t understand the written dialogue over ad libs and shouting, it is detrimental to the story and the production. In addition, the lack of air conditioning made it almost unbearable with the heat and humidity. At intermission I stopped counting when the fifth audience member exited the theater complaining of the heat. I have been told by some good authorities that the town is planning to invest money to upgrade this space and I wholeheartedly support it. Certainly Peregrine Theatre Ensemble deserves the best space possible when everything else they bring to the table is top notch.
So what DO they bring to the table? Generally speaking, Peregrine is proving to be a lead force in the revitalization of theatre in Provincetown. A town known as the “Birthplace of Modern American Theatre” has labored to find its theatrical legs in the last few years (aside from the celebrity one-nighters and the incredible drag performances and cabarets). And there have been a rumbling voice or two in the community dramatically ringing the death knoll. But the promise of Peregrine’s creative team and the talent they bring to their productions is Broadway worthy. With the powerful production of LONELY PLANET at Provincetown Theater earlier this year and the remarkable talent on display in CARRIE, it’s clear that theatre is alive and well in Provincetown.
As for this production of CARRIE The Musical, technical issues aside, the company manages to deftly draw us into the world of Carrie White and her classmates. Aided by the uncanny setting of being in a high school auditorium, the set is simple but effective and the use of the space keen. There are some really impressive special effects as well. Most of the ensemble work is tight and focused with fantastic vocals, soaring harmonies and commitment to character that is often lacking in less professional productions. And the leads are top notch talents worthy of some awards for their work.
In the role of Margaret White, Paige McNamara is a tour de force of talent…convincing me from her first moments that she was much older than she is in real life. Her character work here is riveting and her vocals are both powerful and nuanced. She takes on Mrs. White’s journey from broken single Mom, to hopeful woman of faith, to disappointed and rebuked sinner to twisted and insane killer for Christ…all the while maintaining some semblance of control within these complicated layers and never chewing the scenery (which an actress of her youth might be tempted to do). Instead she reveals each layer like an article of clothing being added or removed. The loudest applause at curtain call was deservedly for Ms. McNamara.
As Carrie, Missy Michael Jamieson isn’t far behind in the talent department. She is both innocent and commanding; balancing her naiveté with the freedom she gains as her powers grow and she struggles with a simple longing to be accepted. Her tones are both sweet and heartbreaking in all of her songs, hitting her stride with Why not me? We never for a moment are uncertain about what this Carrie is feeling or thinking…there is never a false note in the vocals or the portrayal.
One of the supporting cast who stood out as another powerhouse talent was Jane Bernhard as Sue Snell. Her character is part of the pairing that tries to do the right thing and is the sole survivor able to tell Carrie’s story. Ms. Bernhard has an uncanny naturalness to her performance, and, like her cast mates, can sing up a controlled and spectacular storm. Also worthy of a shout out are aforementioned actors Mia Gerachis and Adam Berry, just for the fact that you will despise the roles they play which speaks highly of their talented character development.
While I gave Mr. Betts a ding before, I praise him overall for taking a ship that could easily sink in lesser hands and making it sail. He keeps the pace moving and brings focus exactly where it needs to be – there are no stagnant moments here and the story is as haunting and poignant as King means for it to be. And his casting of these talented performers could not have been more spot-on.
Finally, major kudos to the orchestra led by Peter Hodgson. Even in an acoustically perfect environment I’ve heard small rock band ensembles like this completely overpower the vocals. The balance with the cast was terrific and the only time there was issue were a few underscore moments over dialogue.
Peregrine's production of CARRIE The Musical is worth seeing - with some of the best voices you’ll hear in town all summer! Performances are every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 7pm through September 9th. For tickets and more information you can find Peregrine Theatre Ensemble online at www.peregrinetheatre.com
Carrie - the musical
by Patrick Riviere
Provincetown Performing
Arts Examiner
July 8, 2015
It’s safe to assume that a majority of folks out there are familiar with the story of Carrie White and the horror film based on Stephen King’s novel, Carrie. Somewhat less of the population may be aware that the story was musicalized in 1988 making it to Broadway where it played a mere sixteen previews and five performances before shuddering with abysmal reviews. In 2012 a revamp of the musical was produced by Off-Broadway's MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. That production met with much more favorable reviews and it is that version which Peregrine Theatre Ensemble has brought to the Provincetown Schools Auditorium.
You know the basic plot by now…Carrie White (played by Missy Michael Jamieson) is the misfit and laughing stock at her high school where her damaged and evangelical mother (played by Paige McNamara) went before her. There are the horrible bullies, the tag-along bullies and the couple kids who regret their actions. There is that uncomfortableness of trying to figure out who you are and where you belong (illustrated quite effectively in the opening number of the show, In, with the lyric: “…cuz life just doesn’t begin…until you’re in!”) There are the school teachers trying to let kids be kids while coming to realize one of their charges is particularly lost and afraid. And there is the overprotective and warped single mother locking her daughter in the basement to pray; trying to control that which she has no control over. An embarrassing and almost “hard to believe” incident in the girl’s showers at the gym sets a series of events in motion which ultimately leads everyone to the Senior Prom. Banished from prom senior Chris (played by Mia Gerachis) hatches a plot to have Carrie crowned Prom Queen only to destroy her joy by having her bully boyfriend Billy (played by Adam Berry) rig a bucket of pig’s blood to dump on her head at the moment she is crowned. The blood sets off Carrie’s worst fears and, of course, triggers her powers that ultimately exact revenge on her wrongdoers. It’s hard to pull off a Hamlet like ending in a musical, but Peregrine does a noble job. And while this treatment of the material does include some telekinesis and blood, the primary focus of the story centers around bullying and the ramifications of our words and actions (a continually recurring theme in our society especially poignant in recent weeks with marriage equality and the appalling church killings and burnings).
I must admit that I never saw the Broadway or Off-Broadway productions of CARRIE and only have the movie as reference, but even this revamp suffers some book flaws – primarily several ballooned sequences (especially within the prom of Act 2) that are unnecessary and don’t advance the plot. The reprise of Dreamer in Disguise could be cut. In addition, there are some practical and technical issues that must be addressed by Peregrine’s creative team if they are going to make this theater their home (and I certainly hope they do). The acoustics in the space are extremely challenging – especially for a musical. Add to that what appeared to be sound system issues and you have entire group sequences where it was impossible to hear any of the spoken dialogue and even in some of the spoken duet exchanges when there is orchestra underscore. While much of the blame goes to the space, some of the responsibility must fall to director Christopher Betts for not reigning in some of the shrieking and screaming in those first ten minutes and in other scenes along the way. While it may seem “realistic” in the portrayal of high school students and their behavior, if the audience can’t understand the written dialogue over ad libs and shouting, it is detrimental to the story and the production. In addition, the lack of air conditioning made it almost unbearable with the heat and humidity. At intermission I stopped counting when the fifth audience member exited the theater complaining of the heat. I have been told by some good authorities that the town is planning to invest money to upgrade this space and I wholeheartedly support it. Certainly Peregrine Theatre Ensemble deserves the best space possible when everything else they bring to the table is top notch.
So what DO they bring to the table? Generally speaking, Peregrine is proving to be a lead force in the revitalization of theatre in Provincetown. A town known as the “Birthplace of Modern American Theatre” has labored to find its theatrical legs in the last few years (aside from the celebrity one-nighters and the incredible drag performances and cabarets). And there have been a rumbling voice or two in the community dramatically ringing the death knoll. But the promise of Peregrine’s creative team and the talent they bring to their productions is Broadway worthy. With the powerful production of LONELY PLANET at Provincetown Theater earlier this year and the remarkable talent on display in CARRIE, it’s clear that theatre is alive and well in Provincetown.
As for this production of CARRIE The Musical, technical issues aside, the company manages to deftly draw us into the world of Carrie White and her classmates. Aided by the uncanny setting of being in a high school auditorium, the set is simple but effective and the use of the space keen. There are some really impressive special effects as well. Most of the ensemble work is tight and focused with fantastic vocals, soaring harmonies and commitment to character that is often lacking in less professional productions. And the leads are top notch talents worthy of some awards for their work.
In the role of Margaret White, Paige McNamara is a tour de force of talent…convincing me from her first moments that she was much older than she is in real life. Her character work here is riveting and her vocals are both powerful and nuanced. She takes on Mrs. White’s journey from broken single Mom, to hopeful woman of faith, to disappointed and rebuked sinner to twisted and insane killer for Christ…all the while maintaining some semblance of control within these complicated layers and never chewing the scenery (which an actress of her youth might be tempted to do). Instead she reveals each layer like an article of clothing being added or removed. The loudest applause at curtain call was deservedly for Ms. McNamara.
As Carrie, Missy Michael Jamieson isn’t far behind in the talent department. She is both innocent and commanding; balancing her naiveté with the freedom she gains as her powers grow and she struggles with a simple longing to be accepted. Her tones are both sweet and heartbreaking in all of her songs, hitting her stride with Why not me? We never for a moment are uncertain about what this Carrie is feeling or thinking…there is never a false note in the vocals or the portrayal.
One of the supporting cast who stood out as another powerhouse talent was Jane Bernhard as Sue Snell. Her character is part of the pairing that tries to do the right thing and is the sole survivor able to tell Carrie’s story. Ms. Bernhard has an uncanny naturalness to her performance, and, like her cast mates, can sing up a controlled and spectacular storm. Also worthy of a shout out are aforementioned actors Mia Gerachis and Adam Berry, just for the fact that you will despise the roles they play which speaks highly of their talented character development.
While I gave Mr. Betts a ding before, I praise him overall for taking a ship that could easily sink in lesser hands and making it sail. He keeps the pace moving and brings focus exactly where it needs to be – there are no stagnant moments here and the story is as haunting and poignant as King means for it to be. And his casting of these talented performers could not have been more spot-on.
Finally, major kudos to the orchestra led by Peter Hodgson. Even in an acoustically perfect environment I’ve heard small rock band ensembles like this completely overpower the vocals. The balance with the cast was terrific and the only time there was issue were a few underscore moments over dialogue.
Peregrine's production of CARRIE The Musical is worth seeing - with some of the best voices you’ll hear in town all summer! Performances are every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 7pm through September 9th. For tickets and more information you can find Peregrine Theatre Ensemble online at www.peregrinetheatre.com
PLAYBILL.COM PHOTO EXCLUSIVE!
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/photo-exclusive-paying-the-rent-in-provincetown-behind-the-scenes-at-peregr
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/photo-exclusive-paying-the-rent-in-provincetown-behind-the-scenes-at-peregr
HAMLET
PROVINCETOWN BANNER
By Charles Karchmer
Posted Jul. 2, 2014 @ 7:55 am
Updated at 8:03 AM
Things may be rotten in the state of Denmark, but they could not be fresher on the stage of The Provincetown Theater.
There, the fledgling Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, is presenting an ambitious new production of “Hamlet.” Trimmed to a fast-paced two hours or so, the Peregrine’s youthful approach to Shakespeare’s existential tragedy makes for a compelling evening. Despite taxing their technique and resources to their limits, the production is without question a hit — a very palpable hit.
Director Jake Ford marshals his talented cast into a true ensemble. His staging tells the story simply and clearly, and impressively avoids the trap of directing the play in the mode described by the great director Arthur Penn as “regional classical.” This is, unapologetically, a contemporary American production filled with imaginative touches. One outstanding example of Ford’s ability to overcome the limited resources at his disposal is his presentation of the “Mousetrap,” the play-within-a-play wherein Hamlet hopes to “catch the conscience of the king”). What begins as a seemingly silly shadow play ends with the royal couple, Claudius and Gertrude, framed sitting in their thrones under a glaring white light, their guilt evident even to themselves as well as to Hamlet.
With the possible exception of King Lear, no character in the Shakespearean canon tests an actor’s skills as rigorously as the conflicted Danish prince. Ben Berry (who is also the artistic director of Peregrine) successfully meets the challenge head on. This is a vigorous, virile and passionate Hamlet who pursues his father’s murderer obsessively. This is a Hamlet who is both intellectually and emotionally high strung, with no one safe from his determined ploy of madness; and this is also a master manipulator of anyone who stands in his way. In one beautifully played scene he exposes the deviousness of Rosencrantz (Missy Michael Jamieson) and Guildenstern (Kristen Luzi) by comparing himself to the musical instrument they claim not to be able to play. Berry renders Shakespeare’s poetry unaffectedly and intelligibly, and proclaims the many thrice-familiar soliloquies as if they were newly penned. He may lack the vocal beauty of a Gielgud, or the flamboyance of an Olivier, but make no mistake: this is a talented, young American actor fearlessly tackling an Everest of a role and planting his flag high on the mountain.
Berry is supported by an able cast. Particularly worthy of note are Go Mahan as Claudius and director Ford himself in a delicious, comic turn as the gravedigger. The lust for power that drives Claudius is what one usually remembers, but Mahan brings a surprising humanity to the king in his moving “apologia” late in the play. Ford brings a welcome and robust humor to his role, jabbering with so much manic energy one wants to wipe the scenery from his lips.
- Peregrine's 'Hamlet' in Provincetown is essential for theatergoers this season
By Charles Karchmer
Posted Jul. 2, 2014 @ 7:55 am
Updated at 8:03 AM
Things may be rotten in the state of Denmark, but they could not be fresher on the stage of The Provincetown Theater.
There, the fledgling Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, is presenting an ambitious new production of “Hamlet.” Trimmed to a fast-paced two hours or so, the Peregrine’s youthful approach to Shakespeare’s existential tragedy makes for a compelling evening. Despite taxing their technique and resources to their limits, the production is without question a hit — a very palpable hit.
Director Jake Ford marshals his talented cast into a true ensemble. His staging tells the story simply and clearly, and impressively avoids the trap of directing the play in the mode described by the great director Arthur Penn as “regional classical.” This is, unapologetically, a contemporary American production filled with imaginative touches. One outstanding example of Ford’s ability to overcome the limited resources at his disposal is his presentation of the “Mousetrap,” the play-within-a-play wherein Hamlet hopes to “catch the conscience of the king”). What begins as a seemingly silly shadow play ends with the royal couple, Claudius and Gertrude, framed sitting in their thrones under a glaring white light, their guilt evident even to themselves as well as to Hamlet.
With the possible exception of King Lear, no character in the Shakespearean canon tests an actor’s skills as rigorously as the conflicted Danish prince. Ben Berry (who is also the artistic director of Peregrine) successfully meets the challenge head on. This is a vigorous, virile and passionate Hamlet who pursues his father’s murderer obsessively. This is a Hamlet who is both intellectually and emotionally high strung, with no one safe from his determined ploy of madness; and this is also a master manipulator of anyone who stands in his way. In one beautifully played scene he exposes the deviousness of Rosencrantz (Missy Michael Jamieson) and Guildenstern (Kristen Luzi) by comparing himself to the musical instrument they claim not to be able to play. Berry renders Shakespeare’s poetry unaffectedly and intelligibly, and proclaims the many thrice-familiar soliloquies as if they were newly penned. He may lack the vocal beauty of a Gielgud, or the flamboyance of an Olivier, but make no mistake: this is a talented, young American actor fearlessly tackling an Everest of a role and planting his flag high on the mountain.
Berry is supported by an able cast. Particularly worthy of note are Go Mahan as Claudius and director Ford himself in a delicious, comic turn as the gravedigger. The lust for power that drives Claudius is what one usually remembers, but Mahan brings a surprising humanity to the king in his moving “apologia” late in the play. Ford brings a welcome and robust humor to his role, jabbering with so much manic energy one wants to wipe the scenery from his lips.
- Also in the cast are Marissa Skillings, a pitiable Ophelia; Tessa Bry Taylor, a noble Gertrude; and Nathaniel Hall Taylor, a convincing and amusingly fatuous Polonius. Angel Valentin (Horatio), Jake Glassman (Laertes) and Matt ZanFagna (Player King, et al.) round out the cast.
This reviewer would be remiss to leave unmentioned one grievous miscalculation. The minor characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s treacherous university friends, have been turned into two silly, seemingly tween-aged Valley Girls, whose voices and behavior belong in a different show altogether. Given the intelligence of the rest of the production this is a glaring, puzzling and very wrong-headed misstep.
The design elements are serviceable, but they allow the evening to move breathlessly from scene to scene. The actors are dressed unobtrusively by Carol Sherry in casual, contemporary clothing (notwithstanding an unfortunate beauty-queen sash and gold boots for Claudius); the set is dressed occasionally with a couple of Lucite chairs, and is highlighted by a stage-wide neon strip of changing color and a curtain of black, reflective Mylar strips. Both the set and excellent lighting are by Christopher Heilman.
Any attempt to present “Hamlet” is admirable; to succeed as well as this production does is proof, if proof be needed, that the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble is rapidly becoming an essential part of the Provincetown theatrical community.
Susan Rand Brown
"Radiant, magnetic, passionate, transparent, compelling: after seeing the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s “Hamlet” Monday night, I left the Provincetown Theater convinced that this must-see production will be talked about long after its run. Special kudos to Marisa Skillings, who grew up on the Provincetown stage and with her dance-like, poetic Ophelia has come into her own; Go Mahan as a feisty, commanding King Claudius; Tessa Bry Taylor as a complex, repentant Gertrude, and Nathaniel Hall Taylor as a pitch-perfect Polonius whose buffoonery morphs into tragedy. Christopher Heilman’s dark set and stark bare bulb lighting fills the air with a noir foreboding. Jake Ford’s skillful direction propels the action forward: my eyes never left the stage. And this to Ben Berry, Peregrine Co-Founder and Artistic Director: your Hamlet, mad as a fox and as heart wrenching, is a revelation."
"Radiant, magnetic, passionate, transparent, compelling: after seeing the Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s “Hamlet” Monday night, I left the Provincetown Theater convinced that this must-see production will be talked about long after its run. Special kudos to Marisa Skillings, who grew up on the Provincetown stage and with her dance-like, poetic Ophelia has come into her own; Go Mahan as a feisty, commanding King Claudius; Tessa Bry Taylor as a complex, repentant Gertrude, and Nathaniel Hall Taylor as a pitch-perfect Polonius whose buffoonery morphs into tragedy. Christopher Heilman’s dark set and stark bare bulb lighting fills the air with a noir foreboding. Jake Ford’s skillful direction propels the action forward: my eyes never left the stage. And this to Ben Berry, Peregrine Co-Founder and Artistic Director: your Hamlet, mad as a fox and as heart wrenching, is a revelation."
CAPE COD TIMES
Review: Peregrine delivers fast-paced, creative 'Hamlet'
By ROGER SHOEMAKER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
June 25, 2014
PROVINCETOWN — Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's "Hamlet" at The Provincetown Theater is fresh, inventive and engaging.
It is set in a generic modern wartime, in and around a mythical and wondrously depressing Elsinore. Director Jake Ford has created a fast-paced universe, with strong emphasis on storytelling. The sets and lights, both designed by Christopher Hellman, are simple yet sophisticated, based on hanging chandeliers and black ribbons. The entire setting is evocative, yet fluid, allowing Ford to move the action at a continuous pace without losing any of the essential narrative elements.
The tragedy's plot centers on a Danish prince who seeks revenge on the uncle who has seized the kingdom by murdering his father and marrying his mother. Many of the familiar scenes have new and surprising presentations in the Peregrine production, such as the three visits by Hamlet Sr.'s ghost, the Players' Dumb Show, and the gravedigger's scene.
Equally creative was the casting of courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Missy Michael Jamieson and Kristen Luzi) as crazed and corrupt "Valley Girls," a choice that worked surprisingly well in idea and execution.
The acting style of the show is a combination of clearly articulated and well-understood delivery of Elizabethan language with frenetic, highly emotive, external, physical acting. This is effective both for storytelling and interest value for many playgoers, but it may interfere with others' understanding of the play's nuances and psychological depth.
The performances of the two female leads, Tessa Bry Taylor as Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and Marisa Skillings as love interest Ophelia, are interesting and clear, but it is harder to understand the motivations or inner lives of these characters. Nathanial Hall Taylor's characterization of Polonius is also clear, but understated. Polonius, Ophelia's father, is less the traditional scheming old fool than the sententious, well-intentioned father.
Go Mahan as Claudius, the scheming uncle, is simply terrific. His meaning is crystal-clear from word one, he is always in the moment, and his guilt-without-remorse soliloquy is a masterpiece.
The name of the play, and principal character is, of course, Prince Hamlet, played by Ben Berry. Berry is able to make accessible and understandable an enormous amount of blank verse and several of the famous soliloquies here are revealing and beautiful. Berry has also chosen a highly physical acting style, demonstrating Hamlet's oft-referred-to madness, and is actively crazy from the get-go. He does get less overtly insane toward the end as he finally acts to avenge his father's murder.
One of the marvels of Shakespeare's script is that it allows every actor's Hamlet to be different, even unique. Berry's Hamlet is closer to the manic madness of King Lear on the heath than the traditional contemplative musings of the melancholy Dane.
I would think everyone who sees Peregrine's production of "Hamlet" — whether veterans of multiple stage and screen productions, or novices out to experience Elizabethan tragedy for the very first time — would leave Provincetown Theater with a rediscovered, or newfound respect for this great masterpiece of Western culture. At the same time, they will have enjoyed a fresh and riveting evening of live theater.
Review: Peregrine delivers fast-paced, creative 'Hamlet'
By ROGER SHOEMAKER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
June 25, 2014
PROVINCETOWN — Peregrine Theatre Ensemble's "Hamlet" at The Provincetown Theater is fresh, inventive and engaging.
It is set in a generic modern wartime, in and around a mythical and wondrously depressing Elsinore. Director Jake Ford has created a fast-paced universe, with strong emphasis on storytelling. The sets and lights, both designed by Christopher Hellman, are simple yet sophisticated, based on hanging chandeliers and black ribbons. The entire setting is evocative, yet fluid, allowing Ford to move the action at a continuous pace without losing any of the essential narrative elements.
The tragedy's plot centers on a Danish prince who seeks revenge on the uncle who has seized the kingdom by murdering his father and marrying his mother. Many of the familiar scenes have new and surprising presentations in the Peregrine production, such as the three visits by Hamlet Sr.'s ghost, the Players' Dumb Show, and the gravedigger's scene.
Equally creative was the casting of courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Missy Michael Jamieson and Kristen Luzi) as crazed and corrupt "Valley Girls," a choice that worked surprisingly well in idea and execution.
The acting style of the show is a combination of clearly articulated and well-understood delivery of Elizabethan language with frenetic, highly emotive, external, physical acting. This is effective both for storytelling and interest value for many playgoers, but it may interfere with others' understanding of the play's nuances and psychological depth.
The performances of the two female leads, Tessa Bry Taylor as Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and Marisa Skillings as love interest Ophelia, are interesting and clear, but it is harder to understand the motivations or inner lives of these characters. Nathanial Hall Taylor's characterization of Polonius is also clear, but understated. Polonius, Ophelia's father, is less the traditional scheming old fool than the sententious, well-intentioned father.
Go Mahan as Claudius, the scheming uncle, is simply terrific. His meaning is crystal-clear from word one, he is always in the moment, and his guilt-without-remorse soliloquy is a masterpiece.
The name of the play, and principal character is, of course, Prince Hamlet, played by Ben Berry. Berry is able to make accessible and understandable an enormous amount of blank verse and several of the famous soliloquies here are revealing and beautiful. Berry has also chosen a highly physical acting style, demonstrating Hamlet's oft-referred-to madness, and is actively crazy from the get-go. He does get less overtly insane toward the end as he finally acts to avenge his father's murder.
One of the marvels of Shakespeare's script is that it allows every actor's Hamlet to be different, even unique. Berry's Hamlet is closer to the manic madness of King Lear on the heath than the traditional contemplative musings of the melancholy Dane.
I would think everyone who sees Peregrine's production of "Hamlet" — whether veterans of multiple stage and screen productions, or novices out to experience Elizabethan tragedy for the very first time — would leave Provincetown Theater with a rediscovered, or newfound respect for this great masterpiece of Western culture. At the same time, they will have enjoyed a fresh and riveting evening of live theater.
